McDonald's Denmark - Coinoffers

Objective

McDonald's Denmark sought to build brand preference and loyalty among price-sensitive youth (teens and students) in a highly competitive QSR market. The company needed to move beyond passive loyalty programs and create an engaging platform that would differentiate its value offering and secure long-term customer relationships with young demographics.

Solution

McDonald's launched Coinoffers, a mobile app (iOS and Android) that gamified its loyalty program through virtual coin collection. Users scanned customized QR codes embedded in McDonald's advertising across TV, outdoor, social media, digital screens in transit, and in-restaurant displays to collect virtual coins. The app displayed each coin with pixel-art styling that matched the Coinoffers brand identity. To drive adoption, McDonald's distributed 1 million virtual coins and offered the first 25,000 users 5 free coins upon signup. Users accumulated coins and redeemed them for free menu items—primarily burgers. The mechanics combined location-based scanning, mobile engagement, and gamification to create an interactive loyalty experience.

Results

The McDonald's Coinoffers app became the fastest-downloaded commercial app in Denmark, downloaded by 8% of the Danish population. The campaign was recognized at Cannes Lions with multiple awards and received a Bronze award in the IPA Effectiveness Awards in 2014, demonstrating measurable business impact with a 21% reduction in cost-per-guest and 21% growth in market share.