McDonalds Japan kicked off their campaign for the McBakery line with a publicity stunt of “McBakery Men” dressed in neon suits, sunglasses, and bread hats.
Passersby who “discovered” a member of the McBakery crew could enter a raffle for a trip to Paris or McDonalds gift certificates by taking a mobile or digital camera photo of the character, a move that promised to get the campaign coverage on blogs.
The grand prize, which would appeal to the same audience that McDonalds is hoping to win over with the bakery line, attracted over 1,200 entrants. The campaign, well-advertised though news broadcasts on the McDonalds website, took place on July 12 in posh Omotesando, where bakeries far out-number fast food joints.
McBakery comes in three varieties, melon bread, chocolate Danish, and sugar croissant priced at ¥100, and will be available from July 18th.
Pairs nicely with the new Premium Roast coffee, and more evidence that McDonalds continues to court the Starbucks market.
While they are promoting the coffee here in the US, they have not rolled out the McBakery anywhere that I have seen. I’m not sure that SB and MD compete for the same coffee people here. I like the concept though.