McDonald’s has become the latest brand to run a SnapChat marketing campaign, using NBA star LeBron James to generate buzz on the popular self-destructing photo-sharing app.
The company spent a few days promoting its new account on Twitter, then sent out a snap of James on Tuesday.
The NBA All-Star is shooting a commercial for McDonald’s, and photos and videos from the company offered a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the ad.
The fast-food chain published a Snapchat “story” that it added to throughout the day with additional images and video clips that fleshed out the narrative.
The 36-second story is filmed at a shoot, and a figure that appears to be James appears about eight seconds in, obscured by a bust of a man’s head.
James appears toward the end of the story, saying, “Welcome to the club, baby.” The scene then shifts to a picture of burgers and fries with the text “New bacon clubhouse!”
The segment also features Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and top NFL prospect Johnny Manziel.
McDonald’s is one of the largest brands yet to experiment with Snapchat- following fast food rival Taco Bell which egularly sends followers previews of new menu items and other images.
Other brands, like MTV and Univevers Axe have used the platform to promote new products and services, while frozen yogurt chain 16 Handles, has used Snapchat to send customers coupons that have to be saved with a screenshot before they disappear.
While snaps are private messages, stories are the closest thing to a broadcasting option that exists on Snapchat. The potential to tell a longer-form story and the clearer privacy boundaries inherent in stories could give brands more of an incentive to have a presence on the Snapchat network.
For example, HBO introduced a Snapchat account for “Girls” by producing a 200-second story with pictures and videos stitched together featuring the stars from the red-carpet event for the Season 3 premiere.
Snapchat does not yet generate revenue but CEO Evan Spiegel has proposed exploding coupons and in-app purchases as potential paths to profit in the past.
