• by Shankar Gupta , June 27, 2006

Fast food giant McDonald’s recently dipped its golden arches into the honey-mustard-flavored waters of mobile with a “Mobile Whoa” campaign based in Tulsa, Okla. The campaign was aimed at promoting improvements at area McDonald’s outlets that had installed high-tech amenities like plasma TVs and wireless Internet.

Consumers were invited to enter a mobile scavenger hunt by using SMS to text message a shortcode number, or to register at the campaign’s Web site. In exchange, they received special mobile coupons usable between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.

The hunt sent clues via text messages, with the user text-messaging answers and receiving new clues. In addition to the scavenger hunt and coupons, the promotion also included a photo gallery that encouraged consumers to submit photos of themselves at a McDonald’s restaurant. Customers who submitted photos received free cell phone wallpapers and ringtones.