Promo - October 2008 - (Page 9)

within the world. (Dinosaur Island is currently far outpacing Skateboard Park, Winter Zone and Sports Arena.) Other areas of McWorld have already been populated with properties that will be used in upcoming Happy Meal promotions. For example, “Superopolis,” a superhero-filled city, will come into play during this month’s promotion around the Batman Lego video game. And to appeal to kids who might like the Happy Meal toy tie-in but don’t want to take part in the virtual world, HappyMeal.com will offer other branded online features. October’s Lego Batman promotion offers downloadable wallpapers, screensavers and instant-messaging icons, all with the Lego Batman characters. Within McWorld, not all activities involve licensed entities. Kids can customize their avatars and equip their treehouse homes, and take part in games such as Putt-Putt and Happy Hockey that are not branded, except for liberal use of the Golden Arches logo. The games feature leaderboards that show top scorers. Favorite games and activities can be saved to a customized “My Happy Meal” profile. Users can win awards for fastest times, best skating moves, most creativity, etc., and put them on display in the Hall of Fame. But future Happy Meal promotions will all link to McWorld, Anderson says. “Through 2008, every Happy Meal will come with an access code featured on the boxes or bags,” she says. “They’ll also appear on packaging for our Apple Dippers and our white and chocolate milks. Then starting in 2009, every toy will have a code featured on an insert inside the polybag.” While the access codes can expire once the promotion is over, the games and features they’re linked to in McWorld will not. During the Star Wars promotion, for example, kids were able to interact with Jedi master Yoda himself. “We don’t want kids to get engaged with a game only to be disappointed when the campaign ends,” Irwin says. At the same time, newness and freshness are key factors in the appeal of virtual worlds. The folks behind McWorld hope that rotating in new Happy Meal tie-ins every month or so, one for girls and one for boys, will keep members engaged. “It’s our hope these kids will want to come back several times a month precisely for the new promotions,” Irwin says.” l P W For more articles on entertainment marketing go to www.promomagazine.com/entertainment Newsletter Web RSS Webinar Conference Podcast Everyone Appreciates Recognition and Rewards… �� Inﬂuence positive outcomes. PUT THE POWER OF GIFT CARDS TO WORK FOR YOU. Sales promotions, customer retention, gasoline and retail gift card programs. GIFT CARDS WORK YOUR BOTTOM LINE. 877.300.4SVM | www.svmcards.com Special Offer: Mention Promo Code 8130127. Card terms and conditions apply. The Power of Gift Cards. Promo / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / october 2008 9 http://www.happymeal.com http://www.promomagazine.com/entertainment http://www.svmcards.com http://www.svmcards.com http://www.promomagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - October 2008

Promo - October 2008 Contents Editor's Note 'Happy' World Legal Challenges Enter the Dragon 2008 Industry Trends Report Overview Direct Mail E-mail Coupons Event Marketing Games, Contests and Sweeps Interactive Licensing Loyalty Marketing Mobile Marketing P&I Product Placement Retail Sampling Q&A: Hoop Dreams Pro Awards Finalists Resource Center The Agency Center Compassion Fatigue Index of Advertisers

Promo - October 2008

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