Global music licensing agency Music Dealers has increased its involvement with McDonald’s as the restaurant chain looks to make music a bigger part of its brand marketing – starting with the Sochi Winter Olympics.
McDonald’s approached Music Dealers in a bid to work smarter with independent artists and drive value for its brand through the use of music.
In October 2013 Music Dealers lead a ‘sonic identity’ workshop for the company “to help them find their sound, guide them to strategically use music to drive value for their brand and create consistency in their music selections”.
“It's been a long time since music was a priority for McDonald's in their marketing campaigns,” Eric Sheinkop, Music Dealers CEO and co-founder told Music Week. “In the past music has been a complementary decision but the brand wanted to refresh the sound of its content.”
With Music Dealers, McDonald’s chose to use New Zealand hip hop artists The Wyld for its Winter Olympics TV ad campaign titled ‘Celebrate With A Bite’.
“McDonald's has one of the largest opportunities to share independent artists and their music with the world,” added Sheinkop. “By realising the untapped potential they have to connect with consumers and share great music they came to Music Dealers to help them achieve their objective.”