The Virtual World is the de facto standard for interacting with the younger generation.
It is for this reason McDonald's has launched HappyMeal.com.
To ensure sustained success McDonald's Manager of Global Marketing Brian Irwin explained "We decided to build it (Virtual World) because we have a strong relationship with kids and a strong brand with kids. We felt like our brand would extend well online without going into others. And given our relationship with licensors, we felt like we could extend that. There’s a spectrum of how they want to play in this space."
With a strong early tie-in to Star Wars-themed Happy Meals and content refreshes planned every few weeks, Irwin says the driving goal is to avoid the route of some brand experiences and "not just be the property of the month."
That's part of what makes the new Virtual World stand out. With McDonald's ties to what sometimes seems like every major youth brand out there, the possibilities for new content are rich.
"That was one of the key elements of our site and with our partnerships for the different Happy Meals we launch every 3-4 weeks; we saw that as a great point of difference to bring in and offer a fresh experience every time the Happy Meal changes over to a new property," said Rebecca Anderson, Manager, US Marketing.
"We can have that align with what new happens in the virtual world. It was just a great opportunity with our partners."
