RETAIL ROLE TO GROW IN MCDONALD EVENT

JUDY CORCORAN

OAK BROOK, Ill. -- The Ronald McDonald Children's Charities hopes to boost its 1996 themed freestanding-insert promotion by involving the retail trades more in its multimedia campaign. Plans call for a drop of 56 million inserts in newspapers nationwide Sept. 15, 1996.

RMCC gives brand marketers the opportunity to develop account- specific programs with key retailers and to tie-in with a very well-received children's charity.

"We wanted to do something different with this promotion," said Michael Balousek, director of marketing for Marketing Events, Chicago, which organizes the promotion. Marketing Events is an affiliate of Frankel & Co.

In addition to the national FSI, Marketing Events will conduct a multimedia event opportunity in 20 markets that is designed to generate extra consideration from the trade. This turnkey event, built around the national FSI, features product shots or logos on cable television and on special tray liners and posters at McDonald's. It also gives manufacturers the right to use the RMCC logo on packaging and advertising.

"The difference between this and other programs," Balousek said, "is that there's traction on this program that actually delivers incremental trade support. Lots of programs talk about it, but they can't actually deliver on the back end. The television spots have given us a point of difference. With TV, we're driving people into the stores."

To prepromote the FSI event, RMCC produces 30-second television spots that will air two weeks before the event. The first 20 seconds of the spots are dedicated to the charity and to alerting shoppers to look for the FSI. The last 10 seconds are given to the participating brands, which can then tag specific retailers. In the past, these spots ran on Nickelodeon, Discovery,

Family Channel, A&E, ESPN, Comedy Central, TNN, ETV, Lifetime, USA, TNT and BET.

The 1996 promotion will be held in the following markets for the first time: Tampa/Orlando, Fla.; Dallas/Houston; San Diego; Boston and Atlanta. They join other cities that have taken part in the past: New York; Detroit; Pittsburgh; Los Angeles; Baltimore; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Washington; St. Louis; Birmingham, Ala.; Phoenix; New Orleans; San Francisco; Miami and Philadelphia.

Last year, 12 brand marketers participated in this event, including Chicken of the Sea, First Brands, Alberto-Culver, Scott Paper Products, Benckiser Consumer Products and Drypers Corp. Among the retailers involved in the promotion last year were Bruno's in Birmingham, Eagle Food Centers in Chicago, Foodland in Detroit, Vons Cos. in Los Angeles, Fleming Cos. in Miami, Acme Markets in Philadelphia and Bashas' in Phoenix. Balousek said he expects all the retailers and brand marketers from the last campaign -- "and then some" -- to take part next year.