OAK BROOK Ill. —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that McDonald’s would play a small part in reviving music videos by using them in its latest marketing test: pitching late-night or 24-hour operations to music-loving young adults. —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
In the recently completed “Late Night McDonald’s” campaign, conducted in 17 markets, the Oak Brook, Ill.-based burger chain sponsored music videos and special behind-the-scenes content provided by Epic Records and distributed by interactive agency RedLever. —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
Over the summer, McDonald’s ran a special microsite,
According to RedLever, Late Night McDonald’s produced a 10-percent engagement rate, meaning one-tenth of people surfing another website saw a banner ad for a music video sponsored by McDonald’s and activated the link. Of those people who chose to watch the video, 85 percent remained engaged for a significant period of time, such as watching multiple videos or clicking on special content, like behind-the-scenes segments and band interviews. —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
McDonald’s is not the only restaurant chain courting young consumers through popular musicians. Denny’s has successfully engaged the young late-night crowd with its Rockstar Menu, featuring culinary creations by bands like Good Charlotte and Plain White T’s. Taco Bell has continued its “Feed the Beat” campaign, sponsoring independent musicians on tour. —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
The rich-media ads were syndicated to hundreds of websites geared toward young adults, many of which had an entertainment focus like Yahoo Movies, for example. —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
Richard Shore, chief operating officer of RedLever, said the campaign strove to connect McDonald’s to the young-adult demographic open to eating out late at night. Sponsoring videos from bands popular with the 18-to-34-year-old age group achieved that while providing Epic Records with the promotional exposure music videos typically are meant to capture. —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
He added that sponsored websites and other forms of distribution like “Late Night McDonald’s” only would grow in popularity as mass-media venues for things like music videos or short films dwindle and cede the space to major companies like McDonald’s. —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
“Speaking of digital platforms, you will absolutely be seeing more and more distribution of music videos brought to you by major sponsors, as they’re being viewed as premium content in a way to reach an active and engaged fan base,” Shore said. “Those people who would’ve watched MTV 20 years ago now spend most of their time online.” —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
Shawn Gurn, director of digital media at Moroch, the agency of record for 65 of McDonald’s regional markets, agrees that digitally distributing special entertainment content is an area of growth for marketers. His McDonald’s operator clients already are looking for a similar promotion to try again soon, he added. —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
“The digital format seems to be one that’s leading the way in how people consume content,” Gurn said. “There’s an appeal on the artists’ end to have a brand willing to put forth this effort with them.” —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
The promotion was tested in 17 markets across the United States, Gurn said, as far apart as Salt Lake City and Denver to Detroit and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. One of the biggest challenges to pulling off the campaign, he said, was making a promotion in which 17 far-flung regional markets executed what looked like a unified, national campaign. —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
“To us they are all individual clients,” Gurn said, “so part of the challenge was to get all of them to agree to a single platform.” —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
Moroch is the largest field agency in the McDonald’s system, Gurn said. —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
The central appeal to McDonald’s consumers is more than actually seeing a music video, Gurn said. The band interviews and making-the-video segments, akin to bonus features and extras film buffs like on DVDs, represent the big draw and are key to a content-sponsoring promotion succeeding. —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
“So much of the content was original,” Gurn said. “Those are instances where those things may not have found an environment to be exposed, but it helps the brand and the artist. Some fans out there want to consume everything they can get their hands on about a particular artist.” —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
Despite the gaudy redemption statistics and positive feedback from operators who tested the “Late Night McDonald’s” campaign, the chain has no plans to roll out such a promotion systemwide, a chain spokeswoman said. Regional groups of operators are given leeway to try different marketing tactics, and for now the sponsored-content test will not advance beyond the regional level, she said.— [email protected] —Video may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but reality TV killed—or at least seriously maimed—the music video, relegating the art form to only a few hours in the middle of the night on MTV or VH1.
