McDonald’s Boosts Employees Via Ad, Contest

As part of effort to show its employees there’s more to McDonald’s Corp. than cooking French fries, the company launched a new TV spot and singing competition to help inspire current employees and recruit new ones.

The “My First” TV spot, which broke last week, features past McDonald’s workers who have made a name for themselves, including singer Macy Gray, 10-time Olympic track and field medalist Carl Lewis, Canadian fashion photographer Carla LaBrosse and a current franchisee. In the spot, each person talks about how he applied the skills and training he learned at McDonald’s in his life.

“This campaign is intended to inspire our employees, attract new ones and show our customers that if you begin your career at McDonald’s, the sky is the limit,” said McDonald’s Executive VP-CMO Larry Light in a statement.

McDonald’s employs 1.6 million people in more than 30,000 restaurants worldwide.

It’s McDonald’s latest effort to better connect with its employees. The chain announced last month that it’s searching for a designer to update its uniforms to make the brand more hip to employees (Xtra, July 11).

To further boost morale, McD is running the Voice of McDonald’s Singing Competition, inviting crew members and managers to compete. Contestants will be selected on singing ability, creativity, on-camera performance and their “i’m lovin’ it” spirit. The top 10— from the U.S., one from Latin America, one from Canada, two from Europe and three from the Asia, the Middle East and Australia— compete in finals for a $10,000 grand prize and trip for two to the 2006 American Idol finals in Los Angeles in May.

Contestants must incorporate McDonald’s signature jingle “ba da ba ba ba, i’m lovin’ it” into a song during the finals, slated to be held in front of 15,000 attendees of McDonald’s worldwide owner/operator convention in May.

“The contest is one of the many ways for our employees to feel special,” said McDonald’s spokesperson Lisa Howard. “It’s a fun, relevant way to celebrate the talent of our employees. It’s all about instilling a strong sense of pride in working at McDonald’s and making the working environment more fun.”

McDonald’s is marketing the contest internally via the Internet, crew newsletters and posters.