The Golden Zone
- Brand
- McDonald's
- Year
- 2025
- Objective
- Sales
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Racing & Sports
- Platform
- App
- Agency
- TBWA\Colombia
- With
- DDB Colombia
- Added
- October 2026
- 1
Fans learn from campaign media, broadcast coverage, F1 streamers, and trackside materials that the corners of each race circuit secretly trace the shape of McDonald's golden arches; to take part, they open the McDonald's app.
- 2
During a Grand Prix weekend, the app displays a set of exclusive offers made specifically for that race, each tied to the track's layout and marking where its "Golden Zone" sits.
- 3
The phone acts as a second screen alongside the race broadcast: the player watches the race leader's position and times when the car will enter the track's Golden Zone.
- 4
The moment the leader enters the Golden Zone, an exclusive coupon unlocks in the app and stays active only for the few seconds it takes the car to clear the corner, so the player must tap it instantly before it disappears.
- 5
Each lap hides a different offer, so a single race can yield several rewards and players keep the app open lap after lap to catch more.
- 6
A caught coupon is redeemed immediately for an order in the app, turning race-watching straight into a purchase.
- 7
The experience resets for each new Grand Prix with a new track shape, a new Golden Zone, and new offers, and has expanded to further races and markets across Latin America, alongside related merchandise and track-themed content.
Objective
McDonald's had just become F1's official regional partner in Latin America and wanted more than logo exposure: the goal was to turn sponsorship rights into measurable app engagement and sales, converting passive race-watching into a second-screen habit and an immediate order. The brand also needed the idea to scale as a season-long, multi-market platform rather than a one-off stunt.
Solution
Watching a Grand Prix, fans keep the McDonald's app open as a second screen. Each circuit has its own marked "Golden Zone" — a sequence of corners shaped like the brand's arches — and the fan tracks the race leader on screen, waiting for the car to enter that stretch of track. The instant it does, an exclusive coupon unlocks in the app, live only for the few seconds it takes the car to clear the corner, so claiming it means tapping fast. Different zones on the same lap surface different offers, letting a fan collect several rewards over one race and order right away through the app.
Results
2.7 million app downloads in one month; 2.3 million active users during races; 688,000 users across the activation platforms; +7% incremental digital sales in the app.
