Trend: Corporate Casting Call

Inspired by the success of talent shows on TV corporations put out casting calls to their employees.

Trend Description:
Corporate contests are mostly associated with team-building events and company retreats. McDonald’s has tried to get employees more genuinely revved up, however, with an American Idol-esque contest, the Voice of McDonald’s, which invites the general public to get involved. The website has generated over 200,000 site hits, and 46,000 visitors have cast votes for their favorite McDonald’s employee.

Case:

Voice of McDonald’s
Voice of McDonald’s is a corporate talent audition that has gone out to all 1.6 million McDonald’s restaurant workers worldwide. 3,600 contestants from 53 countries signed up and sent an audition video. “If you just assume that the top one percent (of our employees) are going to be fantastic singers, dancers, comedians, that’s a lot of people,” said Rich Floersch, the company’s executive vice president and chief human resources officer. Before deciding on the American Idol knock-off, executives were also debating a dancing contest, but finally chose singing because it would be easier for contestants to show off at work. The first Voice of McDonald’s contest was held in 2006. That year a Brazilian worker named Elisangela Silva Dos Santos, 20, won. The contest was such a hit, that McDonald’s decided to do it every two years. But this time the corporation added online voting by the public and – after marketing American Idol toys last year – chose an even closer resemblance to the TV show. The Voice of McDonald’s website featured biographies and videos of the 14 finalists who still represented eleven countries (Japan, the Phillippines, Indonesia, Russia, Switzerland, Portugal, Germany, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Canada, and the United States. The winner of the final showdown in April at a McDonald’s convention in Orlando won $25,000. All other finalists were also rewarded with cash prizes for themselves and the restaurant they work at.

Finalist Video: Aziah Bolling

Tend Impact:
Voice of McDonald’s was not only a team- and employee-motivating event, but also a great marketing strategy for the fast food giant. Similar events are usually targeted to customers to improve customer relationship and increase the brand awareness. The corporate casting calls seem to be an even better way to enhance the brand image.

Voice of McDonalds

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