McDonald?s is ramping up its mobile advertising strategy with a new iAd campaign that promotes the fast food giant?s extra value menu items and drives consumers to the nearest location to try them out.

The company is running the iAd campaign within TV Guide?s iPhone application. McDonald?s has used mobile advertising in the past to drive consumers to its locations.

?McDonald's is a household name regardless if you live in the United States or in another country,? said Rick Singer, CEO of GreatApps.com. ?I like that we are seeing so many different companies use mobile to engage customers and create awareness.?

Mr. Singer is not affiliated with McDonald?s. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

McDonald?s did not respond to press inquiries.

Interactive mobile ad
The McDonald?s iAd reads ?Extra Smart Advice. Get some Now.?

The McDonald's iAd campaign

When consumers tap on the iAd they are encouraged to get advice from a wise old man.

Users can hold their phone to their mouth and press the button. Then, they can ask their yes or no question in a clear, loud voice then release the button to get their answer.

In addition to asking the wise old man questions, the iAd also promotes the new McDonald?s extra value menu.

Consumers can also use the store locator option to find the nearest location and try the items in person.

?When consumers go to McDonald's they usually know what they want, we all have our favorite items and usually crave that,? Mr. Singer said. ?You do not hear people say ?what does McDonald's have on the dollar menu this week??

?Consumers want to be informed, yet they do not want to play a game to learn about information if its readily available,? he said.

Past efforts
McDonald?s has been ramping up its efforts in the mobile space.

Last year, the company proved that it is a force to reckon with in the mobile arena via a new targeted ad campaign that promoted its Monopoly game.

The company ran mobile ads within Pandora?s iPhone app. The Monopoly promotion offered consumers a chance to win prizes such as cash and gift cards (see story).

McDonald?s also ran a mobile ad campaign that promoted its breakfast selection through an interactive memory game.

The ads encouraged users to play a memory game to get to know its breakfast items (see story).

Most recently, McDonald's used a mobile ad campaign to entice users to try its dollar menu items by playing a word scramble game.

In addition to learning about the dollar menu items, users could also find the nearest McDonald?s location via the ads (see story).

?A mobile ad can be an effective way to drive user engagement if it?s simple, easy and gets the message across,? Mr. Singer said.

?Consumers do not want to spend a lot of time to find information on their mobile devices,? he said. 

?Having data right in front of consumers or just one click on the smartphone is the best way to engage consumers.

?As the mobile space continues to see growth daily, consumer engagement is becoming more competitive.?

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York