London 2012 Watch: McDonald's UK Launches "We All Make the Games" Campaign

As an official sponsor of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic (that part, sadly, often gets left out), McDonald’s has already invested a lot of money to support the event, from building the world's biggest restaurant and to encouraging youths to get in the spirit and get moving. The next phase in this McOlympics: a £10 million responsive advertising campaign called “We All Make The Games.”

Leveraging multiple media channels, the plan is to document, replay and celebrate the people, moments, and emotions of the games in three phases:

• First, UK-wide outdoor and TV advertising in advance of the Opening Ceremony, encouraging nationals to get behind the people supporting the success of the Games such as Games Maker volunteers and McDonald’s Olympic Champion Crew.
• Second, guerilla film crews will be dispersed to official Fan Parks and city centers country-wide to capture observer’s reactions as the Games unfold, and people will be invited to upload their own videos and photographs to Facebook with the best content used in TV and outdoor advertising.  
• Third, the best clips, images and comments from throughout London 2012 will be used to celebrate the people who ‘made’ the Games.

“The We All Make the Games campaign will capture people’s emotions, humour and experiences in real-time, and we hope to become a barometer for the mood of the nation during the Games,” said Alistair Macrow, McDonald's UK VP of marketing, in a press release.

On the digital front, Razorfish London will manage a consumer sentiment "mood-o-meter" on mcdonalds.co.uk and outdoor digital sites nation-wide encouraging participation. “As well as celebrating our customers, it will enable us to thank some of the 17,500 British and Irish farmers who supply our menu and have provided ingredients for London 2012, our 2,000 employees who have won the chance to work at the Games, and the 70,000 Games Makers,” continued Macrow.

A mosaic design featuring thousands of portraits of McDonald’s customers, employees and British farmers will be shown in select restaurants in key locations both close to Olympic venues and country-wide, as the chain prepares to open its massive pop-up restaurant for the Games.

“There will be two stories taking up more than 32,000 square feet. The 1,500 customers that can sit inside and on the balcony will be served by 500 employees. There will be burgers, fries and chicken nuggets, but also porridge at breakfast, wraps and salads, a new fruit juice drink called Fruitizz and sustainably sourced tea and coffee served with local organic milk.” 

McDonald’s will dismantle its on-site restaurant after the Games and recycle or reuse furniture and equipment. Despite its commitment to sustainability and increased customer service in general and as an Olympics partner, "The chain, which has more than 33,000 restaurants worldwide, has been lambasted for its involvement with the Games by health advocates," notes LAtimes.com. "They contend the partnership sends a poor signal during a celebration of athleticism held in a country with a booming obesity problem."

Undaunted, Macrow commented, "McDonald’s restaurants are an involved part of nearly every British town and city.  It’s a trusted position we cherish, and creating a genuine dialogue with our customers — whether in our restaurants or through our digital channels – sits at the heart of everything we do."