Transparency and innovation secure top spot for McDonald's Canada

Foodservice industry leader named 2012 Marketer of the Year

TORONTO, Jan. 24, 2013 /CNW/ - McDonald's Canada was recognized as the 2012 Marketer of the Year by Marketing magazine at a gala event last night. The company's marketing campaigns were rewarded for venturing into entirely new territory and setting a precedent for transparency.

"Over the past year, we've taken our marketing efforts in bold new directions," said Joel Yashinsky, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald's Canada. "We've broken into new markets, engaged in meaningful open-dialogue with our customers and found new ways to tell our story. It's an honour to have these efforts recognized."

The prestigious award celebrates the best of the best in the industry. Each year, winners are chosen for their clear vision about how to connect with and serve their customers, a willingness to embrace innovation and risk, and an ambitious determination to change the advertising and media landscape.

The judges agreed that McDonald's had met these criteria with a variety of impressive campaigns throughout the year, including:

• Our Food. Your Questions.
• The breakthrough transparency of this first-of-its-kind interactive digital platform, which invites customers to ask any question about McDonald's food and receive a personalized response, was an important aspect of the McDonald's win.
  
  
• McCafé
• The ambitious national launch of the McCafé brand, which introduced premium espresso-based beverages to the majority of McDonald's restaurants, was seen as a courageous and successful step into new markets amidst heavy competition.
  
  
• Other McDonald's campaigns that caught the judges' attention included:
• The AtoMc Hockey program that supports active lifestyles among Canadian youth;
• "McTraffic" reports featuring McDonald's drive-thru locations as potential detours to avoid traffic;
• "McLobster Love" sight-seeing bus tours of Maritime cities;
• Innovative billboards advertising 24-hour restaurants, that are only visible at night.

McDonald's Canada acknowledges the creativity and hard work of its agency partners, Cossette, Golin Harris, NATIONAL, OMD, Tribal DDB and Watt, in helping make this journey of innovation possible.

About McDonald's Canada
McDonald's is the leading foodservice company in the world. McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited and its Canadian franchisees own and operate more than 1,400 restaurants and employ more than 80,000 Canadians coast-to-coast.  Approximately 80 per cent of McDonald's Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs. For more information about McDonald's Canada, visit the company's web site at www.mcdonalds.ca.

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SOURCE: McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited