McDonald's Plays Monopoly Againwith Best Buy

McDonald's Corp. today launches Best Chance Monopoly with electronics retailer Best Buy as partner for the four-week game.

Prizes include cash ($50 to $1 million), SUVs and Best Buy electronics including MP3/PDA handhelds, plasma HDTVs, videogame systems, digital cameras, portable DVD players, laptops, cell phones and home entertainment systems.

The game has McDonald's usual instant-win and collect-and-win elements, but this time players also get a "Chance" game piece on large and super-size fry boxes to win "Best Buy Bucks" and gift cards. Each is a guaranteed winner worth $1, $5 or $10, or a gift card worth $50 or $5,000. Each is redeemable in-store or at BestBuy.com.

Game boards will be distributed in Best Buy's 570 stores, and P-O-P includes a loop of McD ads on a wall of high-definition TVs, reports The Chicago Tribune. Best Buy highlights Monopoly in its Sunday FSIs. The Marketing Store Worldwide, Oak Brook, IL, is lead promo agency; Frankel, Chicago, handles P-O-P. DDB Needham and Burrell, both Chicago, handle ad support.

The partnership will drive awareness and traffic for Eden Prairie, MN-based Best Buy at the crucial kickoff of holiday shopping.

This is McDonald's first rendition of its long-time Monopoly game since the August 2001 arrest of a Simon Marketing security director for operating an embezzlement ring that stole $20 million in high-value game pieces (October 2001 PROMO). McDonald's ran a Winning Time sweeps this spring after revamping its security measures (May PROMO). It was McD's first game promotion in 19 months, distributing 400 million game pieces and boosting store traffic.

Oak Brook, IL-based McDonald's established a Games Advisory Board in fall 2002. Led by former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb, the group met every two to three months through spring 2002 to give advice on McDonald's new security systems. Big Mac made three big changes to its games protocol, based on advice from the board: There's no longer a single party overseeing game security; independent auditors authenticate game pieces; and McDonald's will randomly rotate individuals at its agencies to different roles from one game to the next.