Project Description

McDonald’s All Day Breakfast Launch

Issue

McDonald’s wanted to create awareness and excitement locally about the All Day Breakfast launch on October 6 which was announced in national news and picked up by Detroit area media in late July.

To generate greater media coverage opportunities beyond a standard on-air reader, as well as create buzz leading up to the October 6 national launch of All Day Breakfast, a large-scale local event with menu sampling and a strong news hook was necessary.

Hosting an event open to the public where McDonald’s All Day Breakfast would be served free to a very large audience would have a wide enough reach to support editorial news coverage if pitched perfectly to the local media. 

Marx Layne conceptualized an event to celebrate the launch of McDonald’s All Day Breakfast—Breakfast at the Beach. Marx Layne chose September 29 to host Breakfast at the Beach as this was the first day all Detroit area McDonald’s would be selling All Day Breakfast, this preceded the advertising window, and it was National Coffee Day. Marx Layne selected the venue—Campus Martius Beach—a sand-filled beach at the park located at the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Michigan Avenue in downtown Detroit because it would create an element of surprise and is a destination that draws a large pedestrian traffic from nearby offices.

The high-energy event kicked off at 11 a.m. Marx Layne coordinated all aspects of the event from securing a Temporary Food Establishment License from the City of Detroit Health Department to ordering the food and paper products, in addition to hiring entertainment, orchestrating a multitude of branded signage and giveaways, and staffing.

Marx Layne served food from the McDonald’s All Day Breakfast menu incorporating quality messaging in communication. Attendees enjoyed the Campus Martius Beach setting complete with All Day Breakfast-branded beach chairs and beach balls while being entertained by a steel drum band.

Marx Layne conducted media relations announcing the local event celebrating the upcoming launch of McDonald’s All Day Breakfast. Food drops were secured and facilitated on-set at local TV stations accompanied by a delivery of McDonald’s All Day Breakfast-branded robes and sleep masks for on-air talent. 

Marx Layne generated significant pre-launch media coverage about McDonald’s All Day Breakfast. The McDonald’s All Day Breakfast menu offerings were featured on-set at all three local television stations. Media coverage included mention of the national launch the following week as well as the local pre-launch celebration, Breakfast at the Beach.

Marx Layne coordinates media cover for McDonald's All-Day Breakfast LaunchThe anchors on the ABC affiliate ate McDonald’s All Day Breakfast during the live morning coverage while wearing All Day Breakfast-branded robes and sleep masks. The McDonald’s All Day Breakfast menu offerings remained on-set with the anchors in the branded robes while covering other news stories until the next commercial break, a total of nearly 10 minutes of air time for the brand. The NBC affiliate anchors listed off the All Day Breakfast menu items that were on-set while wearing the branded robes calling All Day Breakfast “the best idea.” The FOX affiliate featured the McDonald’s All Day Breakfast menu offerings with one anchor talking about his favorite All Day Breakfast meal: Sausage McMuffin with Egg, fries and a Coke, declaring it “transformative.”