Advertising and Promotion
Some elements of the McDonald’s promotional strategy remained the same as in other parts of the world – especially its emphasis on attracting children. A Happy Meal film was regularly shown on the Cartoon Network and Zee (a popular local channel) Disney Hour. McDonald’s also teamed up with the Delhi traffic police and the Delhi fire service to highlight safety issues, again aimed at creating goodwill among schoolchildren. In late 2002, McDonald’s held a children’s painting competition across all its outlets in Delhi. As many as 5,000 children participated in the competition, and a selection of 12 paintings (chosen by some of India’s noted artists) were printed and sold as greeting cards, the proceeds from which were to be used for corrective surgery to restore the vision of needy children. McDonald’s also held an annual fundraiser in which it contributed Rs 1 for every Happy Meal sold to help finance procedures for visually – and economically – challenged children. In 2008, the company also planned the launch of Fundays, during which Ronald would go to schools and conduct sessions on arts, crafts, social awareness, and balancing lifestyles.