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McDonald’s UK said it given away more than 22m children’s books since launching its Happy Readers initiative in 2013 – exceeding its original target of 15 million.
Alistair Macrow, senior v.p. of marketing at McDonald’s UK, said: “Our restaurants have always been a colourful and exciting place for families to visit, and two years ago we realised we could leverage our scale, our partnerships and our presence in communities across the country to help millions of mums, dads and children find the fun in reading. Reading is something families continue to love doing together, and Happy Readers has really struck a chord.”
McDonald’s has given away books from major British children’s authors, including Enid Blyton, and has worked with several industry partners the WH Smith, Kobo and the National Literacy Trust (NLT).
“Our research tells us that there is a very clear link between book ownership and children's future success in life so initiatives like McDonald’s Happy Readers campaign play an important role in getting more books into the hands of children and inspiring families to read together as a fun and interactive activity,” said Johnathan Douglas, director of the NLT.
Kobo offered free digital downloads with Happy Meals, while WH Smith provided £1 book tokens.