McDonald's Launches YouTube Talent Search

The fast-food goliath has launched a promotion on YouTube that it hopes will build awareness for its new chicken snack wrap by giving videographers a chance to be featured on YouTube's home page for a day.

McDonald's is reaching out to the YouTube generation with a public relations promotion designed to build awareness of its newest offering--a honey-mustard chicken snack wrap with grilled or crispy chicken.

The "It's Your Break" campaign on YouTube is an online talent search offering consumers a chance to be discovered and promoted on YouTube by McDonald's. "This is an effort to honor the YouTube community and the millions of talented video directors that aren't afraid to share their talent with the world," said a spokesperson.

The chosen director's video will be shown on YouTube's home page as the largest video in the Participatory Video Unit spot on Feb. 19, a space usually reserved for advertising. Requirement details are fuzzy, but generous. "This is not a contest or sweepstakes," said McDonald's. "There is nothing special people can do to be considered."

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Web users will find out about this contest in several ways on YouTube: home page promotions, McDonald's Snack Wrap Channel with direct link, director pages, banner ads and via YouTube's search pages.

The product will be available for consumer sampling at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, the CIAA Basketball Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., the Mexican National Team soccer clinic and kickoff game in San Diego, Chinese New Year Parade and Festival in San Francisco and at spring break activities in Panama City Beach, Fla.

In addition to the online promotion, three new TV ads broke yesterday. Radio will also support.

The chicken snack wrap, introduced last year in a Ranch version, has been wildly successful. Sales reportedly have exceeded projections by 20 percent. Next up? A spicy salsa-roja flavor is among the wraps the company is testing.

Last year, McDonald's posted "Webisodes" on YouTube to promote the Filet-O-Fish sandwich.

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