McDonald’s partners with Kobo to give free e-books to kids

With burger giant McDonald's entering into a deal with Kobo, a Canada-based e-reader and e-book company, kids in the UK would get free e-books when they go to the fast food company's outlets.

As part of the deal between the two companies, McDonald's is partnering with Kobo to include a download code for one of Enid Blyton's Secret Seven children's mystery books with every meal purchased from 1 May and 17 June, as part of its annual "Happy Readers" programme.

Though the fast food company had given millions of books to kids in the last two years, this is the first time that the company has decided to give free e-books to kids.

Delhi Daily News quoted Alistair Macrow, senior vice president, chief marketing officer, McDonald's UK, as saying that children had come to know and expect content in digital form.

Since leading the charge with free WiFi in 2007, the company had introduced a number of digital innovations to enhance customers' experience, including the McDonald's UK app, contactless payment as also tablets and digital floor play in restaurants.

The company's free e-books are the latest way for it to deliver a fun, enriched experience for its customers at no extra cost, he added.

During the new Happy Meal promotion, which would run until 17 June, McDonalds expects to sell 15 million Happy Meals in the UK, which would temporarily make it the largest children's book distributor in the country in 2014.

The promotion required an access to either a smart phone or an e-reader, which might be problematic for some parents.

Kobo president Michael Tamblyn noted in an email to The Wire that the brand's e-readers were available on a number of devices, including "any Kobo device or any of the Kobo apps for iOS, Android, etc." The least expensive reader from the company, Kobo Mini, was priced at $59.99, but the apps could be downloaded free.

A discounted series of print books costing £1 rather than £5.99 would also be on offer during the promotion.