Australian Idol: "AUSTRALIA'S MOST LOVED SONGS" Ambient Advert

Type of Entry: Use of Media
Category: Best Use of Sponsorship
Title: AUSTRALIA'S MOST LOVED SONGS
Advertiser/Client: McDONALD'S
Product/Service: AUSTRALIAN IDOL
Entrant Company: OMD Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Media Agency: OMD Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Creative Credits
Name Company Position
Melissa Mullins OMD Australia Senior Communications Manager
Joanne Liddell OMD Australia Director Of Sponsorship/Partnerships And Events
Alistair Henderson OMD Australia Fuse Australia Director
Karen Burchall OMD Australia Tv Trading Manager
Natalie Redford OMD Australia National Account Manager
Details
Results and Effectiveness:
Transformed the sponsorship for consumers... Number 1 sponsor in 2008, 43% higher than any other brand mentioned. 61% of 16-39 year olds who watched Idol regularly agreed ‘McDonald’s is a brand for people like me’, against 53% of total 16-39’s. Year on year sales increased by over 16%. …and client: “…we really had a job to do, to use this property more effectively... linking it more directly to our brand, being more focused, and truly engaging the viewers... You have totally delivered on these objectives, with seamless integration and outstanding results...” National Media & Sponsorship Manager, McDonald’s.
Creative Execution:
We conducted a nationally representative survey to find Australia’s top ten favourite songs of all time. We then challenged the Idol audience to guess the order for their chance to win $50,000. We released a clue on Australian Idol each week to help our audience solve the puzzle and another in NW magazine. There was also the opportunity to receive the clues direct to your mobile. The ‘Australia’s Most Loved Songs’ promotion was brought to life on the show and each of the Idols told us what they thought the number one song would be. They also discussed their personal favourites on the website. When it finally came to revealing the order of the top ten and the ultimate winner of the major cash prize, the Australian Idols and judges sang each song in an entertaining 10 to 1 countdown.
Insights, Strategy and the Idea:
2008 was McDonald’s sixth year as a major sponsor of Australian Idol. With audience figures dwindling, McDonald’s recognised that they needed to make their sponsorship dollars work harder and move from being the third most recalled sponsor to number one. McDonald’s had a strong advertising presence that aimed to re-connect consumers with the things that they loved about their McDonald’s experience, and in turn increase overall sales of their core menu: Big Mac, Fries and Sundaes. Our strategy was to bring the sentiment of that campaign to life for our core 16-39 Idol audience. We soon discovered that when we asked them about the music, there was a wealth of personal experiences and memories that they were passionate about sharing. By asking people to think about their most loved song, we were able to focus our presence in Australian Idol and seamlessly connect with the above-the-line advertising.