McDonald’s UK has teamed up with eReading provider Kobo to offer its Happy Meal customers access to free digital books.
Launched in conjunction with the new ‘Secret Seven’ Happy Meal book promotion, an e-book voucher will feature on every Happy Meal box enabling parents to download a free children’s e-book compatible with a wide range of electronic devices and operating systems.
Last year e-book purchases in the UK rose by 20% and research by the National Literacy Trust highlights that while traditional book ownership has diminished in recent years amongst older children, ownership of and access to tablets and other digital devices has grown.
Nine in ten children aged 5 to 15 now live in a household where they have access to the internet through a PC, laptop or netbook and, in the last year, home use of tablet computers by children of the same age group has tripled.
Kids expect content in digital form
Alistair Macrow, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald’s UK said:
“Kids today have come to know and expect content in digital form and introducing free e-books to the Happy Meal is another way in which we’re creating choice and keeping in step with our customers. As a customer-led business, it’s essential that we’re always listening to what our customers want and providing them with experiences and added-value features that fit with their lifestyles.
“Since leading the charge with free wifi in 2007, we’ve introduced a number of digital innovations to enhance our customers’ experience including the McDonald’s UK app, contactless payment as well as tablets and digital floor play in restaurants. Our free e-books are the latest way for us to deliver a fun, enriched experience for our customers at no extra cost to them.”
The convenient and approachable nature of digital reading content
Michael Tamblyn, President and Chief Content Officer, Kobo commented:
“We’re delighted to be partnering with McDonald’s in the UK to help expand its Happy Readers programme and offer books digitally for the first time. Since 2010 we’ve seen sales of Kobo e-books for kids grow ten-fold as more parents and children have come to appreciate the convenient and approachable nature of digital reading content.
“As passionate readers ourselves, we welcome the opportunity to help inspire children to fall in love with books. We hope the new option to enjoy digital versions of quality, children’s books through the Happy Meal will inspire more UK families to build their own personal libraries and read more together.”
McDonald’s ‘Happy Readers’ campaign
The new e-book voucher is the latest step in McDonald’s ‘Happy Readers’ campaign which has already seen two annual books promotions get millions of copies of popular children’s books into the hands of UK families and £1 book vouchers now feature prominently on the side of the Happy Meal box. The e-book voucher partnership with Kobo was negotiated by The Marketing Store as part of the evolution of Happy Readers.
The tie-up with Enid Blyton’s ‘Secret Seven’, published by Hodder Children’s Books, will be running for five weeks in McDonald’s restaurants nationwide from 30 April to 3 June, with six short stories from the author’s timeless ‘Secret Seven’ collection, featuring exclusive colour illustrations by famed illustrator Tony Ross, available in-store as part of the Happy Meal. Two additional ‘Secret Seven’ and ‘Famous Five’ titles will also be available to parents and children through the £1 book voucher redeemable at WHSmith or Eason and the free Kobo eBook download available at www.kobobooks.com/uk/happyreaders until Tuesday 17 June.