McDonald’s NASCAR Chicago Street Race
Best Community Engagement Campaign
Bronze Bulldog Award
F
Fresh Ideas
FCG accepted the challenge to reimagine NASCAR for multicultural audiences, particularly targeting Gen Z. Our innovative campaign aimed to democratize access to NASCAR, a sport traditionally less accessible to diverse communities. We executed a fresh multi-tiered strategy, including a social media contest, a local store Road Rally, a VIP experience for McDonald’s crew members, and an exclusive at-track VIP influencer experience.
L
Leadership in Multicultural
In collaboration with McDonald’s Operators of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana (MOCNI) and local pan-agency partners, we leveraged our expertise in African American, Hispanic, Asian American, and general consumer markets to engage local influencers effectively. Our detailed analysis of influencers’ audiences, content creation skills, social media presence, authenticity, and brand affinity informed the development of an engaging at-track VIP influencer experience. This included a garage/pit crew tour and VIP access to NASCAR’s Paddock Club, designed to captivate multicultural youth.
O
Optimal Engagement
Our media team successfully secured major coverage across TV, radio, print, and digital platforms, with the Road Rally reaching 36 million viewers through outlets like WGN, ABC 7, and NBC. A standout moment was the Meet and Greet with NASCAR drivers Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick, widely covered by ABC 7 and other major media. Local influencers achieved significant engagement across their platforms, amplified by a coordinated social media push from @McDChicagoland, @BMOAChicagoland, and @MHOAChicagoland.
W
Winning Outcomes
The campaign set a new nationwide best practice for McDonald’s NASCAR, becoming the most-streamed street race in NBC Sports history. It exceeded expectations with over 90 broadcast mentions, 650,000+ iHeartMedia radio impressions, and a 65% growth in MOCNI’s Instagram following. The hashtag #NASCARChicagoStreetRace trended as the #1 topic on US X (formerly Twitter), highlighting its unprecedented reach and winning engagement.
