McDonald’s Hearts of Gold Case Study
Background
It’s no secret that McDonald’s is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. And with nearly two million employees worldwide, they’re one of the largest employers in the world, too. So when local restaurant owners came to us looking to develop find a unique way to recognize the people who make their brand so great, we jumped at the opportunity to help.
The Challenge:
Like any good employer, McDonald’s knows that their brand’s best ambassadors are their employees. They also know that one of the most effective ways to recruit and retain stellar personnel is to show them that they are valued and appreciated. Because there are close to 100 McDonald’s restaurants in the Triad area, we knew there were sure to be plenty of special individuals whose contributions deserved to be acknowledged — and we wanted to know about all of them.
The Challenge:
Like any good employer, McDonald’s knows that their brand’s best ambassadors are their employees. They also know that one of the most effective ways to recruit and retain stellar personnel is to show them that they are valued and appreciated. Because there are close to 100 McDonald’s restaurants in the Triad area, we knew there were sure to be plenty of special individuals whose contributions deserved to be acknowledged — and we wanted to know about all of them.
The Campaign:
Our conversations with both upper-level management and employees about what they were looking for in a rewards program led us to develop “Hearts of Gold: A Campaign for Kindness.” The goal of the campaign was simple: to recognize and reward employees for their dedication to the McDonald’s brand and encourage them to continue going above and beyond for their customers and one another. We made a point to design a campaign that would allow us to recognize multiple individuals each month while still maintaining an air of exclusivity that would instill a sense of pride in the winners.
The Execution:
Our execution was two-fold: we not only had to get the new program up and running, but we also had to make sure management and employees alike were aware of its existence and wanted to participate in it, either by nominating someone or by working hard to ensure they had a chance at being nominated.
To raise awareness for Hearts of Gold, we created posters that explained the program and placed them in the break rooms at each restaurant. We also designed attention-grabbing mobiles with additional campaign messaging to hang in break rooms. We even took to social media and shared information about the program on the Triad McDonald’s Twitter account.
The Execution:
Our execution was two-fold: we not only had to get the new program up and running, but we also had to make sure management and employees alike were aware of its existence and wanted to participate in it, either by nominating someone or by working hard to ensure they had a chance at being nominated.
To raise awareness for Hearts of Gold, we created posters that explained the program and placed them in the break rooms at each restaurant. We also designed attention-grabbing mobiles with additional campaign messaging to hang in break rooms. We even took to social media and shared information about the program on the Triad McDonald’s Twitter account.
Our execution was two-fold: we not only had to get the new program up and running, but we also had to make sure management and employees alike were aware of its existence and wanted to participate in it, either by nominating someone or by working hard to ensure they had a chance at being nominated.
To raise awareness for Hearts of Gold, we created posters that explained the program and placed them in the break rooms at each restaurant. We also designed attention-grabbing mobiles with additional campaign messaging to hang in break rooms. We even took to social media and shared information about the program on the Triad McDonald’s Twitter account.
Our execution was two-fold: we not only had to get the new program up and running, but we also had to make sure management and employees alike were aware of its existence and wanted to participate in it, either by nominating someone or by working hard to ensure they had a chance at being nominated.
To raise awareness for Hearts of Gold, we created posters that explained the program and placed them in the break rooms at each restaurant. We also designed attention-grabbing mobiles with additional campaign messaging to hang in break rooms. We even took to social media and shared information about the program on the Triad McDonald’s Twitter account.
The Results:
Over the course of 23 months, we received a total of 853 nominations from our Triad-area restaurants and we were able to distribute 460 prize packages, totaling more than $20,000 in monetary rewards.
And, because this is a public relations campaign after all, we were even able to help McDonald’s gain some positive local recognition through this program. When we received a nomination about an employee who called and paid for a cab for a female customer with two children who had no transportation, we knew their act of kindness deserved more than a prize package. WFMY News 2 did too. After hearing this story, the local television station enlisted our help to set up an interview with the employee to share their good deed with our community.
But the results we’re most proud of aren’t the tangible ones. It is impossible to recall how many times throughout the campaign we heard from winners and their nominators alike about their admiration of the program, or the gratitude and pride they felt for being recognized for their hard work. We are proud to have helped shine a light on some of McDonald’s hardest working team members — one Heart of Gold at a time.
853
nominations
460
prize packages
$20,000
in monetary rewards
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