tms and McDonald’s bring Winning Sips back for a second slurp!

Image of 3 Winning Sips cold drink cups

The Winning Sips promotion was bubbling with so much customer enthusiasm at McDonald’s in 2023 that it’s back for another year! Starting on March 13 and running until April 16 in the UK, the optimized Winning Sips 2024 promotion has a new gameplay, giving customers a guaranteed chance to win. 

With the backdrop of the current cost-of-living crisis, tms’ strategy leveraged insights from research on the 2023 campaign to create an integrated campaign full of feel-good moments across various physical and digital touchpoints, from packaging to in-app communications. Introducing new digital elements like “Bonus Sip” to the 2024 campaign keeps consumers engaged and returning to McDonald’s, while also encouraging signups to MyMcDonald’s rewards. 

Image of 3 phone screens in the Winning Sips page of McDonald's app

To play, customers simply need to purchase a medium or large size promotional drink from McDonald’s and peel the game piece on the cup to reveal their instant prize of cash or free food. Those who did not win an instant prize will receive a code, allowing them to play via the McDonald’s app for the potential to win other prizes, including up to £10,000 cash, festival tickets, free menu items, and exclusive McDonald’s merchandise.  

McDonald’s and tms partnered with Coca-Cola and McDonald’s to give customers access to more prizes, including exclusive Coca-Cola merchandise, providing people with even more chances to win! 

To elevate the promotion, tms developed a new mechanic for this edition of Winning Sips called “Bonus Sip”. Bonus Sips allow customers to collect a digital stamp each time customers enter a new Winning Sips code in the app – if customers collect 7 stamps, they will unlock 1,500 bonus MyMcDonald’s rewards points. This is enough points for a medium drink, so customers can use these points to unlock another chance to win. 

tms was able to cleverly level-up this campaign for 2024 with the addition of ‘Bonus Sip’ by making this promotion even more rewarding for customers and encouraging them to return. We are excited to see the continued success of Winning Sips for the second year in a row. 

Stephanie Storey
Business Director at tms

Working cross-functionally, tms utilized our technology, marketing, and sourcing capabilities to execute the creative concepts, in-app experiences, digital communications, packaging, and merchandise. The cups themselves were used as a promotional vehicle, a creative way to visually dial-up generosity and dramatize the thirst-quenching rush of a customer’s first sip through in-app virtual sips to win millions of feel-good prizes.  

For readers in the UK, make sure to visit your local McDonald’s, and sign up for MyMcDonald’s Rewards in the McDonald’s app to reap the full benefits of Winning Sips!