The Opportunity
Fast food company McDonald’s is one of the world’s best-known brands.
communikate et al managed McDonald’s public relations needs in South Australia for a decade, from 2003 to 2013.
As a global brand, McDonald’s daily challenge was communicating the positive changes and contributions it was making as a business and employer and to meet customers’ changing needs.
Our Approach
Our ongoing communications strategy involved:
- Publicising new announcements including the new ‘healthy’ menu when salads were introduced
- Coordinating media briefings during CEO visits to SA
- Identifying speaking opportunities
- Speech and copywriting
- Leveraging national and local sponsorships through the media including McHappy Day and Clean Up Australia Day
- Issues management
- Publicising Ronald McDonald House Charities
We also created the McDonald’s Get Active Sports Awards, held in conjunction with Channel Ten’s Simply Footy. This program was designed to promote healthy active lifestyles among young sports people.
The Outcome
During our 10-year partnership with McDonald’s we were instrumental in helping to change the attitudes of key stakeholders towards the world’s best-known brand.
We worked closely with the licensee community, state marketing team and national public affairs team resulting in:
- National initiatives being leveraged locally
- Positive media stories through our proactive approach including TV news stories, business stories and features in the Careers pages, in addition to regular segments on Ten News and in Messenger Newspapers through the Get Active Sports Awards
- Unprecedented media coverage
