McDonald’s delivers Halloween to Canadians

Most of McDonald’s sales are coming from delivery due to the pandemic, and the brand has launched a new interactive experience to enhance something else many people will be experiencing at home this year: Halloween.

Beginning on Thursday and running until Oct. 31, a web-based AR experience shows a yellow, McDelivery-branded door. After knocking and entering, users get “treats” in the form of offers like free delivery. Users can also take scary photos as a way to celebrate the Halloween holiday at home and with others via social media.

The AR experience is as a way to position McDelivery– a platform the brand uses to promote delivery through SkipTheDishes, UberEats and DoorDash – as a leader among QSR’s in Canada.

“We just need to be where guests are, and they’ve shifted from dining out to dining at home,” Dave Dunn, senior manager of guest engagement and experience at McDonald’s Canada, tells strategy, adding that Halloween is an opportunity to link it to other occasions they might be missing. “We want to be able to bring that sense of community fun and deliciousness into their homes.”

Despite its second quarter revenue dropping 30%, McDonald’s reported more delivery orders than it did in the previous quarter, a buying pattern it believes will stick around well after the pandemic.

“Whether it’s the use of kiosks, the use of mobile, the use of delivery, the use of drive-thru, certainly one of the things that customers are looking for more of is a contactless type of experience,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski told analysts, something Dunn says is the brand’s primary strategy going forward in Canada.

Dunn adds there’s been a big push on digital for the brand and it has been seeing “a surge” in McDelivery orders, due to customers wanting to dine at-home, consolidate trips outside and minimize potential exposure to the virus.

The brand has been pushing its tech capabilities in recent months. When the QSR updated its McDonald’s Rewards program, it rolled out a national campaign, which not only aimed to drive awareness, but also to generate more app downloads and engagement by reminding customers that they can “just use the app,” as opposed to collecting stickers on their coffee cups. Dunn says this marketing push builds on the mobile rewards program update, as part of the brand’s strategy of placing a priority on digital.

McDonald’s worked with Cossette on the project, which is being promoted through digital and social.