Marketing

McDonald’s courts younger consumers with a summer camp

The burger giant will give app users access to discounts, merchandise, “menu hacks” and even musical performances.
Camp McDonald's
McDonald's is kicking off a virtual "summer camp" to court younger consumers./Image courtesy of McDonald's.

McDonald’s is starting a summer camp.

To be sure, the camp is virtual, and rather than campfires and dodgeball, it involves discounts on iced coffees and Big Macs and musical performances.

“Camp McDonald’s” starts on Tuesday and features something each day that users of the McDonald’s app can access, starting with discounts on products liked iced coffees, Chicken McNuggets and French Fries. The “camp” runs for 27 days.

The effort includes a pair of “menu hacks,” including an Apple Pie McFlurry and a McFlurry sandwich, that customers can build themselves. Customers have a chance to get a Retro Grimace Pool Float on July 5, “while supplies last.”

It also features limited-edition merchandise collaborations, including some from Market and the online retailer Free & Easy.  

And the effort features virtual concerts featuring musicians like Bibi, Omar Apollo, Blackbear and headliner Kid Cudi every Sunday.

Customers can get details on the “camp” on the McDonald’s app.

The effort comes as more companies work to get customers, particularly younger consumers, while also directing more people to use its app.

Mobile app use at restaurants has soared during the pandemic, and restaurants generally like that because it’s a more efficient way of getting customers.

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