McDonald's Monopoly game: A great promotion gone bad?
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Columns, People, Media, Coca-Cola Company, McDonald's
McDonald's Monopoly game 2009 is being played at McDonald's restaurants around the globe and, like every year at this time, I find myself compelled to buy fries and soft drinks in an effort to hoard game pieces. Yet, this year, the joy of this annual endeavor seems to be fading. At one time, all you had to do was buy something, get a game piece and place it on your special Monopoly board. But now players who want to take their best shot at prizes ranging from $50 to $1 million must navigate Facebook, send text messages, log into McDonald's online sweepstakes site and watch NBC's Jay Leno show to see what, if anything, they've won.
Not only that, but buying a small Coke for a chance to land the B&O Railroad piece no longer flies. Now during lunch or dinner, you have to buy expensive items in order to get the coveted game pieces.
With all of the new rules and ways to play, you need a scorecard to keep track of where you stand and I can't help but wonder: Has McDonald's made it too complicated for customers to play?
McDonald's, of course, doesn't think so.
"We're not really getting complaints about the game piece products," says Douglas Freeland, director of U.S. marketing and project lead for the McDonald's Monopoly game.
In fact, he says the fast-food chain is giving more money away this year than it ever has in the past, which may mean more people will play. For instance, this is the first year customers can win $1 million each day. In the past, there was only one or two big winners, now with the daily TV drawing, as many as 36 people can win $1 million. However, in the past, you had to collect Boardwalk and Park Place or four railroads game pieces to win $1 million. Now, you have to collect game pieces, enter 11-digit codes onto McDonald's sweepstakes site, and watch the Jay Leno show to see if you've won $1 million.
"At some point it becomes overly complex, but you have to to throw in new wrinkles to keep people involved," says Larry Miller, restaurant analyst at RBC Capital. "When they added the online game board, they made Monopoly better and even more addictive than just collecting the pieces."
"McDonald's always ties Monopoly to their premium products because it helps boost sales," says Steve West, analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. Indeed, he says, the game is a consistent winner for the Big Mac-maker's bottom line.
Save yourself calories and a few dollars and buy a lotto ticket. Your odds of winning the Mega-Millions multi-state lottery drawing are three-times better than the odds you'll collect both Boardwalk and Park Place pieces. Sure, you'll miss out on the Monopoly fun and visiting the golden arches, but you'll save yourself the nuisance of entering codes into your phone or on the Web. If I eat an Angus burger, large fries and a medium soda each day to get my six tickets, that's more than 1,500 calories a day. Make the game simple again for those of us who just want to eat a small fry and dream of a million dollars.
(Correction: A previous version of the story said that none of the lunch or dinner items that qualify for game pieces can be bought for one dollar. In fact, some McDonald's may be able to buy tea for one dollar and receive game pieces.)
Anthony Massucci is a senior writer and columnist for DailyFinance. You may follow him on Twitter at hianthony.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 21)
10-22-2009 @ 7:48AM
Steve said...
Unlike Government give a ways, McDonalds wants to make money and they do. Remember the old saying. "there is no such thing as a free lunch"
Reply
10-22-2009 @ 2:36PM
Jessie said...
I agree with you, but the game is overly complicated. I just buy what I want if and when I go to McDonald's and if there is no instant win for French Fries or a drink, I just throw out the ticket and forget about it. McDonald's prices are also going up and fast food was meant to be cheaper than a regular restaurant. It seems like nowadays the regular restaurant is cheaper than McDonald's, better food and less calories.
Jessie
10-22-2009 @ 2:40PM
gwright said...
i totally agree with the writers comments.the small fries guy dont stand a chance
10-22-2009 @ 3:56PM
Simzee said...
I don't eat at McDonalds.....I like to know what's in my food. Did YOU know that Chicken McNuggets have NO chicken? It's ALL chemicals. I won't even mention the milkshakes. Happy eating folks.
10-23-2009 @ 1:10PM
Joe said...
I don't know. But sounds like Gambling to me??
10-22-2009 @ 4:31PM
PembertonFred said...
It's funny McDonalds is saying in the past there were only a few big prizes.
We all know that the whole thing was fixed and a single McDonalds employee took home all the big prizes since the inception of the game.
It was all over the news when the truth came out. It's wierd that they think our memories are that short.
Who cares. It's impossible to win, And the food will kill you.
That's a winning combination that has me running to the Arches.
10-22-2009 @ 5:15PM
Oscer said...
Simzee said: "I don't eat at McDonalds.....I like to know what's in my food. Did YOU know that Chicken McNuggets have NO chicken? It's ALL chemicals. I won't even mention the milkshakes. Happy eating folks."-_-_- Hey Buddy! Leave the Nuggets alone! It's food crusaders like you that ruined their fries by making them change the lard they use for cooking. Their fries stink on ice now thanks to people who are overly concerned with MY health! I used to eat some stuff like that a couple of times a month, but since they took all of the fat and weird chemicals out of a lot of it, it now tastes like the cardboard that we always knew to which it was equivalent, and I don't eat any of it. I say let the people who are foolish enough to eat the junk daily kill themselves, but leave the flavor in it for the normal people who would like to actually enjoy it to some extent in sensible quantities. You don't like the fat and chemicals? Fine, don't eat it, but I get more chemicals in my system from breathing the Houston air than I would from an occasional 20 piece box of nuggets!
10-22-2009 @ 6:06PM
Animal said...
I agree, also with all the people on the net now, I bet that not one can say they really know anyone who won the big prize. Probably any will can say they only know someone who won a food prize.
10-22-2009 @ 7:22PM
chris said...
It may not be a free lunch... and it may be more complicated... and it may be more calories.... but its each individual that makes the decision 4 themself to go there.
I for one, can not afford to buy the more expensive meals... and can not afford at home TV and internet. So, therefore, I choose NOT to gain the weight and waste the extra $. I will buy my once a month win for life lottery ticket and my .98 refill at 7-11 and the drive thru salad or THE OTHER places to eat with less fattening food.
To each thier own opinion... happy eating... happy living in this wonderful FREE country... where we give $ and food etc to countries that KILL us.
God Bless America
10-22-2009 @ 8:17PM
King David said...
Yea Sparky, but your pun is lost in the fact that most of the McDonalds are RIP OFFS!!! Take a good look at the receipt, if you get one, and you will see that they commonly overcharge people and no one (unless you've been ripped off BIG TIME, like me) argues it so they make a ton of EXTRA money than what you expected to pay. Case in point: The other NIGHT, about 11PM, I was driving home and my daughter, who was SICK, telephoned me and said that she would really like a hot fudge sundae. I figured that since she was sick, and that I know a cool sundae would certainly be tasty if I were ill, I stopped at the location on Socrum Loop Road in Lakeland, Florida and ordered two, and knowing that they ALWAYS SKIMP ON THE SAUCE since it takes several pumps to activate the suction to bring the sauce forward I asked for some extra fudge. The price was to be normally one dollar each. The drive thru window was shut so I had to drive to the "serve" window where I was told that it would be three dollars and twenty four cents (the 24 being tax). I questioned the exta charge and was told that it would be .38 cents extra - each. I again asked about the difference, already objecting to the .38 just to reach the NORMAL amount and was told that it was going to be the charge. My daugher was sick; I even wanted one; so I gave in and paid the rip off price -- 50 cents extra on a one dollar item?!!!! The next day I called and pitched a bitch of the rip off price and was told that it should only have been .33 cents each!!!!!!! I told her the receipt stated otherwise and so there was total confusion. I objected to the unknown pricing plus the fact that I was charged extra for something in order to JUST GET WHAT SHOULD BE NORMAL!! Their attitude -- BFD!! That's what the computer said!! My answer is that Wendy's is right down the road, as is Checkers and it will be a cold day in Hell before I ever eat at any McDonalds in Lakeland (I know that most are owned by one greedy owner). Always analyze your receipts folks, and pitch a bitch whenever you find a problem otherwise the companies will just keep nailing you and think - even if it's only a few cents TIMES how many people go through the door each day TIMES the amount of days that they are opened and you will see a major income to the thieves -- at your/our expense.
10-22-2009 @ 7:51AM
Larry said...
Let them keep that crappy food, I'm not wasting my money trying to find some game piece while filling my arteries with high fat, chloresterol clogging death meals.....no thanks!
Reply
10-22-2009 @ 2:41PM
Gary said...
I agree. McDonalds makes you buy a large meal, and the odds of wining are rediculas. You odds would be better to be the next person to get struck by lightning.
Go ahead folks, buy those big meal, maybe the drug companies should sell cholesterol medication with every Big Mac.
10-22-2009 @ 3:49PM
heather said...
Amen to that!!
10-22-2009 @ 4:12PM
LAURIEANN said...
I AGREE TOTALLY ,THEIR FOOD IS GROSS AND FULL OF GREASE AND YOU WOULD HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF HITTING A SCRATCH OFF TICKET OR HITTING THE NY DAILY NUMBER SO IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A CHANCE OF WINNING SOMETHING VISIT YOUR LOCAL CORNER STORE AND PLAY LOTTO
10-22-2009 @ 8:09AM
d. haskell said...
Seems fair to me..If you win a big prize, buy buying and eating Mc Slop, then you can afford to see a doctor and a trainer to lose the obesity! What a great thing....
Reply
10-22-2009 @ 8:32AM
Michelle Wagner said...
Thats not true about the $1.00 items, the hashbrowns have game pieces on them and you can get 2 for a $1.00 here in Purdue Country-West Lafayette, Indiana!
Reply
10-22-2009 @ 10:31AM
v said...
Hashbrowns are $1.29 here in cali
10-22-2009 @ 10:45AM
Mike Purdue Grad said...
Michelle, in the third paragraph it says, "Now during lunch or dinner, you have to buy expensive items in order to get the coveted game pieces." I don't think hash browns are served at lunch or dinner. I know it's less clear in a subsequent paragraph, but he does make his point early on.
10-22-2009 @ 4:55PM
Deb Massey said...
Hash browns are more than that here
10-22-2009 @ 3:54PM
Alisa said...
Not in GA :(