The Challenge

Despite increasing competition in the market, fast-food giant McDonald’s was hungry for more growth. Having delivered consistent growth for decades, the geographic expansion and sophisticated mass marketing approach that had served them so well was at the point of diminishing returns. Opportunity lay in understanding and identifying existing customers and using this to drive incremental visitation, spend and ultimately, growth.     

The Solution

Turning this opportunity into reality was no easy task. When TRACK first began working with McDonald’s in 2016, there was little to no data infrastructure or CRM platforms in place. McDonald’s couldn’t identify who their customers were, or what their preferences or purchase patterns were, stunting our ability to grow individual customer value.

But over the next five years, we helped McDonald’s adopt a customer-centric marketing approach that leverages data and technology to drive efficiencies and growth from their customers.

Key to this transformation was the launch of a global McDonald’s app in the NZ market. While the app was essentially just a ‘couponing tool’, McDonald’s empowered TRACK to add the smarts that would turn the app into a smart, personalised, growth engine. To do this we focussed on:

• Building out strong data and technology foundations to enable them to identify, segment, target, engage and measure the behaviour of individual customers;
• Mapping the app adoption journey with a goal of creating habitual use of the app and driving incremental behaviour;
• Analysing point of sale data to provide insight on the offers to be used at different stages and by different segments of customers;
• A comprehensive ongoing go-to-market approach combining always-on offers, triggered 1-to-1 communications and app-exclusive promotions to drive engagement.

Finally, a comprehensive communication strategy was developed that encompassed the end-to-end lifecycle of an app user. The aim was to deliver a seamless customer journey with four main components: acquisition, onboarding, engagement and retention.

The Results

So did this transformation in McDonald’s marketing approach deliver the growth they desired? The answer is a resounding yes, with constant overachievement of the set objectives driving double-digit growth for 3 years in a row.

In short, the customers who have the Macca’s app in their pocket are more engaged, have the brand top of mind, visit more often, and spend more. What a result.

The Awards

Effies Gold

NZDM Gold

NZDM Nexus Grand Prix Winner