McDonald’s Japan – Going For The Gold

After suffering major losses due to several food scandals over the past few years, McDonald’s Japan is attempting to attract back customers with an irresistible offer: McDonald’s Japan is offering one lucky customer the chance to strike gold by winning a solid-gold 18K 50g nugget, worth US$2,000 —  but 21 people will win a coupon for free five-piece nuggets.

The gold prize is part of a new campaign is part of McDonald’s Japan’s campaign to launch a new character: Kaito Nuggets, which translates to ‘Phantom Thief Nuggets,’ that wears a black mask, top hat and a bright yellow suit with a red bow tie — that brings to mind the fast-food giant’s iconic Hamburglar who wore a hat and a tie.

A statement by McDonald’s Japan, said that “Kaito Nuggets appears in some McDonald’s restaurants throughout Japan to hunt the… great-tasting sauces… or he might throw out a ceremonial first pitch in a professional baseball game. He will appear every here and there.”

Those “great-tasting sauces,” which the contest coincides with the promotion of two new limited-edition dipping sauces, Fruit Curry and Creamy Cheddar Cheese, which will be available from 8 June. Along with the new sauces, the Chicken McNuggets 15-piece pack will be sold for 390 yen (US$3.55), instead of the regular 570 yen sale price, and the five-piece value set will be sold for 150, a discount of 50 yen.

While the campaign is to launch a new character and find out who is behind the mask, what’s really got everyone talking, is the special campaign that will see one lucky prizewinner walk away with a very special golden nugget. To win, customers simply have to follow McDonald’s on Twitter and then keep an eye out for signs of the new “Mysterious Nugget Thief”, who will be leaving clues and information on the campaign website and in and around McDonald’s restaurants across the country.

To win the nugget, participants have search for clues left by a yellow-suited “Nugget Thief” at stores around the country to help find out who is behind Kaito Nuggets’ mask by guessing the thief’s true identity and spreading the word by tweeting details of where he’s found with a hashtag #怪盗ナゲッツ that translates to “Kaito Nuggets” the “Mysterious Nugget Thief”.

McDonald’s Japan is offering one lucky customer the chance to strike gold by winning a solid-gold 50g (1.8 ounces) 18K nugget, worth US$2,000 —  but 21 people will win a coupon for free five-piece nuggets.

During the campaign, which runs from 8 – 28 June, additionally one Twitter entrant a day will be chosen at random to receive a special book of coupons for 39 days worth of free five-packs of McNuggets. The decision to offer 39 packs to each winning customer is the company’s way of extending their thanks, as the Japanese pronunciation of the numbers 3 (san) and 9 (kyu) sound just like the words, “thank you”.

Source: McDonald’s Japan