Rubik’s taps McDonald’s for international QSR Promotion

BRANDORA Editorial Staff - February 2020

The world-famous Rubik’s cube is to feature in a new McDonald’s Happy Meal promotion throughout 2020, which will encourage kids to PLAY SMART while enjoying their favourite meal.

This multi-territory promotion is set to launch in McDonald's restaurants across France during February this year, with a secondary launch lined up for Australia and New Zealand later that month. The campaign is scheduled to last 4-6 weeks in each territory and will continue to roll out internationally throughout 2020 across 34 countries in 5 continents. This deal follows on from two previous successful promotions with Rubik’s at McDonald’s, the first of which featured a Rubik’s Cube mash-up with a range of Universal Picture / Illumination Films characters and the of which featured a collaboration with the iconic SmileyWorld brand. This time around will mark the first collaboration time the Happy Meal promotion will feature with McDonald’s where the toys on offer will be solely branded Rubik’s, showcasing the strength of the brand.

The latest promotion brokered by The Smiley Company, who operates Rubik's brand extension program, sees the iconic Happy Meal Box transformed from its traditional tented “house” design into a Cube shape for the duration of the campaign. Children enjoying a Happy Meal at McDonald’s will have a choice from 8 unique Rubik’s Cube toys, ranging from classic square 2x2 cubes and rectangular 3x2x1 Cubes to a selection of new brain-busting challenges created exclusively for this promotion. These include sliding tile puzzles, 2D and 3D build your own Rubik’s Cube games, a snake-inspired twisting toy, and a twisting hexagonal and round slide games.

“This partnership with McDonald’s continues to realise our plans of taking the brand to new consumers, with particular emphasis on engaging Rubik’s with children aged from 3-8 years old.”

Christoph Bettin, CEO Rubik’s Brand Ltd said, “We have worked closely with McDonald’s to create innovative and impactful premiums that deliver on our goal of bringing intelligent play to kids of all ages. With our focus on brain-boosting activities that deliver “STEM without the Screen”, we have created toys that will stimulate kids’ minds and imaginations while the challenge of solving the puzzles encourages repeat play.”

“We have placed particular emphasis on engaging Rubik’s with children aged from 3-8 years old, and continuing our partnership with McDonald’s is a key part of our program as we focus on creating new toy partnerships for this age group. The campaign is supported by a selection of high-quality content, including TV ads, bespoke games, and engaging POS, to ensure every aspect of the promotion perfectly leverages Rubik’s brand mission of encouraging children to PLAY SMART," he adds.

There will be an exciting 360° marketing campaign to support the promotion’s launch, which includes three Rubik's themed challenges in the McDonald’s ‘Inventor’ Game framework. These feature a selection of construction experiments aimed at helping kids test and learn, developing problem-solving skills, and understanding more about how things work. These games will be available on the Happy Meal app (Available on Apple and Android).

Additional marketing materials will include in-store POS, branded balloons, colouring sheets, wall stickers and window decals which will help amplify the Rubik’s brand identity throughout the promotion. This 360-degree campaign is sure to put the Rubik’s Cube in front of mind for a new generation of Cubers, encouraging them to PLAY SMART.