Brand activation case study - Mcdonald's FA Community Awards

Name of Proposer: Rob Mitchell

Advertiser: McDonald’s

Media Buying Agency: n/a

Creative Agency: LeoSports (Leo Burnett)

Sector: Sponsorship

Format:

2011 marked the 2nd year of the FA Community Awards presented by McDonald’s. The Awards are The FA’s and McDonald’s celebration of the unsung heroes of community football. McDonald’s wanted to recognise and celebrate the dedicated coaches, volunteers and clubs who have made a difference in their local community by putting them on a pedestal and using this as an opportunity to inspire others

(Print / Outdoor / Digital / Email / LED Digital-perimeter boards)

Stand Out:

The new campaign platform and ‘Panini’ style artwork put the Award winners on a pedestal. The new style was used across a number of formats and had sufficient flexibility to accommodate stadium scoreboards and perimeter boards, as well as more standard programme ads. It also allowed for guest engagement via the Football Card photo booth. The combined effect of the branding was distinctive and impactful

Commentary:

FA Community Shield match attendees were exposed to the Panini cards when they received their tickets in the post which included a booklet telling them about McDonald’s football programme, and it continued once they arrived at the stadium. The stadium branding celebrated the 7 national award winners, and 8 outstanding contribution award nominees. For the hospitality guests, they saw a sponsor wall telling McDonald’s football story and other gallery walls which celebrated the Community Award winners, as well as other photo-booth experiential activity to allow guests to create their own ‘panini-style’ card.

The football card campaign was seen by 80,000 match attendees, and 6 million TV viewers in the UK, as McDonald’s celebrated the unsung heroes of grassroots football in England.