What makes a PR winner?
Ita Gibney explains the strategy behind the award-winning campaign for the launch of McDonald’s Eurosaver ad campaign.

Gibney Communications was recently awarded the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) best integrated campaign for 2007. The award was for the launch of McDonald’s Eurosaver Menu ad campaign featuring Ireland’s three-time Eurovision winner Johnny Logan, created by Cawley Nea\TBWA and Tequila.

The award recognised excellence for a campaign which demonstrates the integrated use of communication to achieve its objective and included a media awareness campaign leveraging Logan’s profile, an interactive Bebo site and a multi-platform advertising campaign run nationally.

As McDonald’s Eurosaver menu price plan predominantly targets teenagers and as angst is a common thread in many teenagers’ lives, the agency created an ad that would position the McDonald’s Eurosaver Menu as something for teenagers to look forward to in the midst of their tormented lives.

Logan’s recent collaboration with Norwegian rapper Kaye Stiles, singing a remix of his 1987 first Eurovision hit ‘Hold Me Now’, had introduced him to Irish teenagers. The ‘Hold Me Now’ video had become a huge hit on YouTube.com and had catapulted Logan back into the lives of a new generation of Irish youth. With Logan’s new found appeal and relevance to Irish teenagers, he was cast as the new star of McDonald’s Eurosaver Menu advertising and interactive online campaign comprising of TV, radio, outdoor and the launch of his own Bebo site.

Gibney Communications developed a PR campaign to launch the advertising and online campaign, which had to achieve a number of key objectives. These included connecting with the Irish teen market; generating blanket national coverage for the launch of the advertising; drive high volumes of traffic to McDonald’s website and the campaign’s Bebo site; secure key high profile interviews for Logan to promote his involvement with McDonald’s and, overall, generate hype and interest in the media advertising.

While Logan was a national figure his popularity and profile had waned over the past number of decades, so there was some doubt as to whether media and the public, in particular the teen market, would be interested in his return to Irish screens. This was a challenge to the success of the PR campaign.

To maximise media coverage and interest in the launch of the advertising and online campaign, Gibney Communications devised a two-phased media communication strategy. The first phase focused on generating national press coverage for the campaign’s launch, while phase two focused on securing high profile interviews for Logan to publicise his involvement with McDonald’s.

POPULAR STAR Johnny Logan, the focus of McDonald's Eurosaver advertising campaign, and the Minister for Education Mary Hanafin TD with the honours won in the PRCA Awards for Excellence at the gala event in the Mansion House.

To coincide with the launch of the advertising in January of this year, Logan’s involvement in the campaign was announced to media, who were sent photos of Logan and the ad. It sparked an immediate and intense interest amongst media.

Widespread positive coverage was achieved in the national daily press, including The Irish Times, Irish Independent, Irish Daily Star, Irish Daily Mail, Metro, Herald AM and the Evening Herald. The images of Logan taken on the set of the commercial’s shoot were widely used in media reports.

In addition to the print coverage, the launch of the McDonald’s ad became the talk of the nation, with high profile radio shows discussing the campaign at length throughout the day. In an unprecedented move, many of the radio shows played a clip of the ad, essentially giving McDonald’s free airtime.

Radio shows that discussed and played the advertisement included Marty in the Morning, The Gerry Ryan Show, Ian Dempsey Show, Mooney, The Strawberry Alarm Clock on FM104, Newstalk’s Your Call, Moncrieff Show, Eamon Keane Show and Late Night Live with Declan Carty.

The launch was also carried on news bulletins throughout the day on Newstalk, Today FM and 98FM. After the initial launch, the team secured a number of high profile print and broadcast interviews with Logan on The Late Late Show, TV3’s Ireland AM and the lead cover story of the Sunday Independent Life magazine.

The strategy used achieved the objectives that had been set out. The PR campaign connected with the teen market and generated blanket national coverage reaching an audience of 3.8 million people and generating an editorial value of over €1million. As well, the online results were excellent.

In week one, the Bebo site received 5,000 hits and 300 people had signed up to be Logan’s friend. As it stands, the Bebo site has over 25,000 hits and Logan has over 800 friends. In addition, the McDonald’s Eurosaver advertising has been downloaded from YouTube.com over 10,000 times.

The other good news is, thanks to the rebirth of Logan’s ‘Hold Me Now’ featured in the campaign and with his increased profile nationally, Logan will be on stage at Vicar Street on October 21 for his first live show in Ireland in over 20 years.

Ita Gibney is managing director of Gibney Communications