McDonald’s Japan Combines Consumer Micro-Moments with the Weather

McDonald’s Japan rolled out a campaign using from the Weather category’s Weather Index when it launched a customizable menu that offered many burger variations. Using sales data from the company’s nationwide network of restaurants, together with weather data, McDonald’s Japan was able to analyze in real time when and where products were selling well, and which products sold well under which weather conditions.

McDonald’s Japan then connected their data to DoubleClick’s ability to reach smartphone users based on location and demographics, which in turn automatically generated and delivered the best ads based on the combined rich contexts of location, gender, time and weather. For example, ad messages about iced coffees were sent on hot summer days and about popular new hamburgers over rainy weeknights. In the end, McDonald’s Japan served over 25,000 types of banner ads recommending just the right product for each viewer in that particular set of circumstances.

In addition to the banner ads, McDonald’s Japan also sent users digital coupons for the recommended products, adding an extra incentive for customers to visit its restaurants. As a result, this campaign saw coupon usage grow by 150% the normal rate.

When people think about technology they often think about one-size-fits-all or mass production. In the past, display ads have been guilty of that to a certain degree, but it’s really exciting that real-time data-driven creatives ultimately uses technology to unlock creativity at scale — to give brands the chance to offer consumers a more customized experience.

Source: Think With Google

  Advertising, Apps, Data, Innovation, Japan, Location Based, Marketing, McDonalds, Mobile, Technology