The Challenge

In 2019, McDonald’s wanted an influential & trusted partner who could help raise further awareness for their amazing program that gives kids the opportunity to get into sport at a grass roots level and engage with local communities to take advantage of the opportunity this gives families.

Bauer were challenged to:

1. Increase awareness of overall McDonald’s new Fun Football programme, the opportunities for parents & families to get involved
2. Drive engagement & action in the programme initiative
3. Increase traffic to the McDonald’s Football website

The Insight

Hits Radio Network, Absolute Radio & Take a Break are trusted family-focused brands who are at the heart of family-life.

These brands formed the perfect combination of national & local messaging for an audience who want to keep their kids both occupied and active.

The idea

A multi-brand campaign that targeted football interested parents.

This campaign involved two phases where Bauer had to bring Fun Football to life across Hits Radio Network, Absolute Radio & Take a Break – in April to “kick-off” the campaign and another from May – September.

The phases would consist of editorial that places young players, their parents, coaches and achievements at the front of football-style reporting with a light-hearted and welcoming approach.

Execution

Kicked off with a sponsorship of the Frank Skinner show, on air Saturday’s from 8am – perfect timing for reaching parents with kids looking for something to do. It was a great fit as Frank is a huge football fan and the partnership fits perfectly into the editorial content of the station

During both phases the Hits Radio Network’s local stations, a total of 116, ran tailored local audio pieces keeping the campaign fresh & relevant and most importantly tailored to local relevance.

Take a Break delivered a summer preview followed by a schedule piece that showcased the amazing work the program does and signposted readers to the events taking place around the country.

Results

7.7M

REACH IN PHASE 1 & A FURTHER 16M PEOPLE IN PHASE 2

1.4M

SOCIAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS

24,600

UNIQUE WEB PAGE IMPRESSIONS

45%

OF THOSE EXPOSED TO THE CAMPAIGN TOOK ACTION