A recent promotional stunt by McDonalds didn't seem to work. Or did it?
The promo was called "Pay With Lovin" and it gave customers the chance to get a free meal by performing tasks as simple as a hug.
The campaign was first introduced during a Super Bowl XLIX commercial. Based on the commercial, random customers were chosen to participate. After the customer placed an order, a service manager called "Lovin' Lead" informed the customer about the program and gave the customer a chance to pay the meal with "Lovin," according to International Business Times.
Actions qualified as "Lovin" can range from asking the customer to call their parents and say, "I love you."
After the campaign started, YouGov BrandIndex started tracking customer satisfaction and attitude towards the fast food giant. According to McDonald's the campaign was expected to boost the company's public image. The report from YouGov said otherwise.
On a positive note, the campaign increased the number of people talking about the fast food chain and people considering getting their meal from one of its branches. YouGov attributed the latter to constant ads and from people hoping to get a free meal as part of the campaign, according to Consumerist.
The Index Buzz score has a range of -100 to 100, with 0 representing neutral. In the two weeks after announcing the campaign, McDonald's scored between -1 and 3, which means there was no significant change in customers' attitude.
This in spite of the overwhelming marketing campaign and one of the most highlighted ads in the Super Bowl.