MEDIA RELEASE PR37823
McDonald's Brings a Taste of the Olympic Games to Customers Around the World
OAK BROOK, Ill., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
Olympians Shawn Johnson and Patrick Chan Join McDonald's for a
Sneak Peek into the Company's Olympic Games Sponsorship Plans
Today via a live Webcast, McDonald's unveiled new, compelling
advertising, athlete-themed packaging and the latest news on its signature
programs for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Mary Dillon, McDonald's Global Chief Marketing Officer, John Betts,
McDonald's Canada President, and Olympians Shawn Johnson (U.S. gold medal
gymnast) and Patrick Chan (Canadian men's figure skating champion and world
silver medalist) shared details of how McDonald's programs will enhance the
Olympic experience for fans around the world during the Games this February.
"Athletes continue to tell us they love our quality food when training or
celebrating wins at the Games, and it's one of the reasons we're proud to be
the only brand serving them as the Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games,"
said Dillon. "We're thrilled our food can play a special role in their lives
and for our more than 58 million customers every day around the world."
"In addition to feeding the athletes, there is something for everyone to
celebrate the Games at our 1,400 McDonald's restaurants across Canada," said
Betts. "We want our customers to know McDonald's is their Olympic Games
headquarters and we look forward to welcoming the world to celebrate with
us."
Feeding the Athletes
McDonald's is building two new restaurants in the Olympic Villages in
Vancouver and Whistler to feed the more than 10,000 athletes, coaches and
officials expected at the Games, and one in the Main Media Center in
Vancouver for the nearly 3,000 media expected. These restaurants, open 24
hours a day, will feature McCafe beverages and snacks.
Food News
At all 1,400 restaurants across Canada, including the 30-plus McDonald's
restaurants in the Vancouver and Whistler areas, customers can enjoy new
limited-time menu offerings such as the S'mores Pie and the Creme Brulee
Crunch McFlurry. Happy Meals will feature fun, interactive toys of the 2010
Winter Games mascots.
Countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway are offering
special Chicken McNugget promotions under a "Share the Gold" theme.
McDonald's USA's efforts will center around a promotion for Chicken McNuggets
and a new limited time sauce.
McDonald's Advertising and Packaging
McDonald's markets around the globe created special campaigns that are
relevant to their customers to share the fun and excitement of the Games.
McDonald's Canada will air six new television commercials (three of which
were shown on today's Webcast). In-restaurant advertising will feature
McDonald's food favorites and Canadian Olympic athletes Cassie Campbell
(women's ice hockey), snowboarders Brad Martin and Crispin Lispcomb, and
Alexandre Bilodeau (freestyle skiing).
Customers will see some of their favorite winter athletes on McDonald's
packaging at 15,000 restaurants across the U.S. Graham Watanabe (men's
snowboard), Jennifer Rodriguez (women's speedskating), J.R. Celski (men's
speedskating), Dustin Byfuglien (men's hockey), Patrick Deneen (men's
skiing), Kelly Clark (women's snowboard), Angela Ruggiero (women's ice
hockey) and Paralympian Sean Halsted (alpine skiing) will be featured on cups
and bags starting February 1. Celski and Halsted also star in the new
McDonald's USA Olympic television spot highlighted during the Webcast.
Curling and ski jumping fans in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway can
look forward to viewing the latest Chicken McNuggets television commercials,
which include a fun twist on Olympic Games competitions. In Russia, the
iconic Big Mac sandwich will be featured in print and television
advertisements. The new commercial celebrates athletes coming together at a
McDonald's restaurant following Olympic Games events.
McDonald's Champion Kids
McDonald's Champion Kids program debuted at the Beijing 2008 Olympic
Summer Games, where children aged 6-14 from around the world received a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the Games first-hand. For
Vancouver, McDonald's Champion Kids from across Canada will be joined by kids
from countries, such as the U.S., Germany, Ukraine and England to attend
Olympic Winter Games events, meet athletes, visit the Olympic Village, tour
cultural sites and receive their own gold medals from Olympic champions.*
The children also will serve as special youth correspondents to share
their experiences with their hometown news outlets. They will be well-guided
by an experienced Canadian young journalist and blogger, Max Newton from
Vancouver. He was a McDonald's Champion Kid for the Beijing Games and will
return for the 2010 Winter Games as a program ambassador.
Kids from Canada were chosen by a committee that included two-time
Olympic gold medalist and former women's ice hockey captain Cassie Campbell.
Two-time Olympic silver medalist diver Alexandre Despatie joined Campbell in
the judging process for Quebec. The selection was based on their commitment
to fitness, leading an active lifestyle, leadership skills and participation
in extracurricular activities.
During the Webcast, McDonald's USA announced the ten children who will
represent the U.S. as McDonald's Champion Kids**. As an ambassador for the
U.S. program, Olympian Shawn Johnson joined other athletes to judge essay
entries to select the winners through an online contest. The kids wrote about
the Olympic Values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect. Johnson shared the
good news in person with some of the lucky kids who won from across the
United States.
"I was inspired by the kids' creativity and the effort they put into
their essays. It was incredible to tell the winners they were heading to the
Games," Johnson said. "The Olympic Games changed my life and I'm excited to
watch the Games impact the lives of the 2010 McDonald's Champion Kids."
McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew
The McDonald's Olympic Winter Games venue restaurants will be staffed by
McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew, comprised of 300 top-performing restaurant
employees from across Canada. They will serve a menu of favorites to the
world's best athletes, coaches, officials and media during the Games.
Ronald McDonald House Charities
As part of McDonald's Olympic Games tradition of giving back to the host
country, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Canada, in cooperation with the
province of British Columbia, the Rick Hansen Foundation and 2010 Legacies
Now, is helping to fund three world-class accessible playgrounds located in
Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler. These state-of-the-art playgrounds will
meet the needs of children with disabilities and enable these children to
play side by side with their siblings, families and friends.
The charity was awarded the Vancouver Organizing Committee's 2010
Sustainability Star for the Legacy playgrounds initiative.
Environment
McDonald's is supporting the efforts to make the Vancouver 2010 Olympic
Games the first-ever carbon neutral Games by joining their voluntary Carbon
Partner program to help offset indirect carbon emissions. Also, McDonald's
three new Olympic Games venue restaurants will be fitted with
energy-efficient lighting and equipment. The equipment from these restaurants
will be reused and recycled at McDonald's restaurants in Canada after the
Winter Games have ended.
McDonald's Olympic Games History
McDonald's became an Official Sponsor of the Olympic Games in 1976 and
has a long-standing commitment to the Olympic Movement, which first began
more than 40 years ago. At the 1968 Olympic Winter Games, McDonald's
airlifted hamburgers to U.S. athletes competing in Grenoble, France, after
they reported being homesick for McDonald's food. Since then, the company has
served its menu of choice and variety to millions of athletes, coaches, their
families and fans. The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games marks McDonald's
seventh Olympic Games as a Worldwide Partner and eighth as the Official
Restaurant of the Olympic Games. McDonald's current sponsorship will continue
through the 2012 Summer Games in London.
About McDonald's
McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) is the leading global foodservice retailer with
more than 32,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Approximately 80
percent of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by
franchisees. Please visit our Web site at www.aboutmcdonalds.com to learn
more about the Company.
For more information and updates on McDonald's TOP Olympic Games
sponsorship, please visit
Media Contacts
--------------
Suzanne Valliere, McDonald's
suzanne.valliere@us.mcd.com or 630-235-8128
Lisa McComb, McDonald's
lisa.mccomb@us.mcd.com or 630-623-3707
Emily Fullmer, GolinHarris
efullmer@golinharris.com or 612-716-6688
(c)2010 McDonald's
*Information on the McDonald's Champion Kids from Canada can be found at
**For a complete listing of the U.S. McDonald's Champion Kids announced
The following trademarks used herein are owned by McDonald's Corporation
and its affiliates; McDonald's, the Golden Arches Logo, McDonald's Champion
Kids, S'mores Pie and Creme Brulee Crunch McFlurry, Happy Meal, Ronald
McDonald House Charities, Big Mac, McCafe, Chicken McNuggets.
SOURCE: McDonald's
CONTACT: Suzanne Valliere,
+1-630-235-8128
suzanne.valliere@us.mcd.com,
or Lisa McComb,
+1-630-623-3707,
lisa.mccomb@us.mcd.com,
both of McDonald's;
or Emily Fullmer of GolinHarris,
+1-612-716-6688,
efullmer@golinharris.com,
for McDonald's
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