McDonald's and La-Z-Boy partner on 'McDelivery Couch' sweepstakes

Dive Brief:

McDonald's and La-Z-Boy announced a sweepstakes in which fans can win a McDelivery Couch so that they can better enjoy their McDelivery with Uber Eats experience, according to a McDonald's news post.
The McDelivery Couch features built-in McFlurry coolers, phone chargers, light-up cup holders, adjustable seats, La-Z-Boy's iClean stain-resistant fabric and a McDelivery with Uber Eats blanket.
To win the McDelivery Couch, fans can tweet about their favorite McDelivery with Uber Eats item with hashtag #McDeliverySweepstakes and tag @UberEats and @McDonalds through April 8.

Dive Insight:

McDonald's quirky McDelivery Couch promotes its delivery partnership with Uber Eats at a time when interest is high in quirky products and delivery apps among some consumers and marketers. By linking the promotion to the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament and spring binge-watching, the fast food chain aims to inspire new delivery orders and offer consumers a memorable experience.

The promotion could resonate with younger consumers for several reasons. Gen Z consumers are showing more interest in fast food brands compared to the older millennials, who have been a tough group for brands like McDonald's to reach. Millennials and Gen Z are also more likely to use food-delivery apps. And, with the rise in video streaming platform usage, 28% of younger millennials, age 24-31, and 55% of Americans of all ages prefer staying in to save money, according to Mintel research cited in a Refinery 29 report.

The McDonald's sweepstakes is also the latest example of how fast food brands continue to use marketing stunts to drum up excitement and drive sales. McDonald's also isn't alone in attempting to offer fans a memorable experience around March Madness. Buffalo Wild Wings debuted a campaign this week with the opposite message: encouraging fans to get out of the house and watch the games at one of its restaurants. The brand also debuted the "Jewel Stool," available at two locations, in response to a supposed rise in vasectomies during the NCAA basketball tournament. The custom barstool features a cooling system built into the seat, a chilled cup holder, timer and "beer me" light.

McDonald's continues to leverage technology, like the Uber Eats delivery partnership, to enhance the customer experience. The company unveiled a 19,000-square-foot tech-focused flagship restaurant in Chicago last summer, that features self-order kiosks, table service, mobile ordering and payment and delivery. It was part of the brand's "Experience of the Future" initiative to focus on convenience and technology and plans to convert most of its locations by 2020.