The Campaign

Australia has one of the highest smartphone penetrations in the world, with 87% of people owning a smartphone, and just under 40% of people owning a tablet. These devices have become known as the 'digital nanny', as they are frequently used by parents of young children between the ages 4 and 8, to keep them entertained and provide some relief for parents, especially when out in public spaces such as restaurants. However, parents are mindful of the content that their children watch and interact with. They look for educational experiences for their kids that are more than empty entertainment or repetitive play; they want to know that their children are interacting with something that will offer genuine developmental benefits beyond entertainment and distraction.

Results

But kids' imaginations can transform a place more profoundly than any coat of paint or new furniture ever could. So we overlaid these modern restaurants with a secret world of imagination that only kids can see, through a dedicated smartphone and tablet app. And we filled this world with millions of curious little creatures called Emlings. The Emlings' world has been overrun by monsters that eat imagination, leaving behind a drab, boring landscape. Now they need kids to help them bring some magic and creativity back to the world, and to their McDonald's. Parents look for experiences for their kids that are more than empty entertainment or repetitive games; that help their children develop and grow. But kids are less likely to engage with an app that focuses on rote learning. So instead of designing an app that teaches kids, we ask kids to teach their Emlings - how to paint, dance, mould and sing. Kids can then make creations of their own, without ever realising they are playing with an 'educational' app. Developed in consultation with child development experts and parents, Emlings can help kids develop cognitive, language and problem solving skills - without losing any of the magic. Through the app, kids can also discover special 'tribes' of Emlings hiding in the Happy Meal, making them the first digital Happy Meal toy. Unlike the traditional plastic toy, each Emling is randomly generated, meaning that there are literally hundreds of millions of unique characters waiting to be discovered.

Emlings has been designed to harness the power of kids imaginations, and show them their world – and their McDonald's restaurant – in a new light. So the restaurants became the key touchpoint for Emlings, introducing kids to the characters and the story of the Emlings through in-store posters, traymats, and through the Happy Meal - the cornerstone of kids' experiences at McDonald's. These communications then prompted parents to download a specially designed smartphone app that brought the Emlings experience to life.

The first week of activity saw more than 22,000 downloads without any external media support, proving that Emlings is genuinely engaging kids in restaurant. More than 220,000 games were played, 120,000+ Emlings were rescued, and 3,800+ Tribe Emlings were found in Happy Meals. The app was collectively played for 530 days worth of gameplay – all within one week. Within the first month, Emlings passed 110,000 downloads, averaging approximately one new player every 30 seconds. Average playtime was more than 15 minutes, well above the benchmark of 9.6 minutes, and around 60% of players were returning players, showing that Emlings has lasting appeal among kids. After a successful launch, Emlings will now roll out internationally, beginning in New Zealand, with plans to extend to other markets including Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Korea and Average playtime was more than 15 minutes, well above the benchmark of 9.6 minutes, and around 60% of players were returning players, showing that Emlings has lasting appeal among kids. After a successful launch, Emlings will now roll out internationally, beginning in New Zealand, with plans to extend to other markets including Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Korea and China.