Do you want fries with your field of corn? Fast-food giant McDonald’s has announced a new advertising campaign that will place an entirely new farm in connection with the franchise inside Zynga’s FarmVille. Inspired by the social marketing partnership of appssavvy and OMD Chicago, players can interact in much the same way as other farms within the McDonald’s space, earning digital prizes along the way.
Included in the McDonald’s FarmVille campaign are:
- McDonald’s Farm: The McDonald’s farm on FarmVille during the one day event will be highlighted to players as a ‘Neighbor Farm,’ which players can interact with from their own farms. Players visiting the McDonald’s Farm can help by growing tomato and mustard seed crops.
- McCafe FarmVille Consumable: Player interaction is rewarded with a FarmVilleMcCafe Consumable, a valuable item (virtual good) that makes game-play easier. The McCafe Consumable delivers energy to players to move about their farms at twice the speed.
- McDonald’s Hot Air Balloon FarmVille Decoration: In addition, players helping out on the McDonald’s Farm will earn a virtual McDonald’s Hot Air Balloon to decorate their personal farm.
“Joining forces with FarmVille is an incredible opportunity for us to engage with millions of players in the most popular social game,” said Anja Carroll, Director of Media, McDonald’s USA. “What makes our FarmVille effort unique is that it reinforces important features of the McDonald’s brand while enhancing game play for FarmVille players.”
“Our mission is to connect the world through games by offering consumers meaningful experiences that enhance their game play,” said Manny Anekal, Global Director of Brand Advertising at Zynga. “Tens of millions of people play FarmVille daily and this unique campaign with McDonald’s, one of the most recognized brands in the world, further strengthens our commitment to delivering high quality in-game brand experiences.”
“McDonald’s on FarmVille represents the re-thinking of the delivery and reception of advertising,” said Chris Cunningham, co-founder and CEO of appssavvy. “Today it is about understanding the social activity taking place and only then figuring out a way to join relevantly through value-added marketing, which McDonald’s has done to perfection.”