Thirty or forty years ago, when I had yet to grace a womb, commercials were five minutes long, and went into great detail explaining to us the joys of cigarettes, red meat, and alcohol (or so I’m told). Without a remote, I assume that most people just sat back and watched, but things aren’t so simple for marketers today, what with A.D.D.-plagued Millennials and Generation Z. There are all kinds of new devices out there to market on, but most of us have grown totally immune to any form of marketing. Unless, of course, it’s super fun and nearly effortless, which pretty accurately describes McDonalds’ most recent campaign in Sweden.
Basically, if you own and iPhone and are near this particular McDonald’s in Stockholm, Sweden, you have the chance to get a digital coupon for a McD’s treat of your choice, after some intense virtual ping-pong play, of course. A massive interactive billboard in the center of the square teases pedestrians to test their table-tennis skills for a McDonald’s snack, and the best part is: no app download necessary.
That’s right. You simply have to type in a URL to the iPhone browser and after GPS confirms you’re near the billboard, it’s you versus the computer in a heated game of pong, broadcasting live to the entire square on the billboard. Those who last for 30 seconds in the increasingly difficult game, get a digital coupon sent straight to the phone, and directions to McDonald’s.
[via CNET]