The third annual “Voice of McDonalds” competition is well underway, and soon one lucky employee will take home what probably amounts to a year’s salary in prize money. If this is your first time hearing about the fast food chain’s “American Idol” style contest, here’s a rundown:
Through Voice of McDonald’s, employees of all ranks and all locations are given the opportunity to compete for a $25,000 top prize, and the chance to sing at an industry trade show. Music industry professionals choose 30 semifinalists from audition videos submitted by McDonalds employees, and the final 12 singers are chosen by McDonalds fans voting online. (via PSFK)
Online voting ran from November 11th to December 4th, 2009, and according to The New York Times the contest collected 685,000 votes across social networks including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in that period.
You can see the 12 fan-selected finalists on the VOM website. The grand prize winner will be decided in April, 2010, by a team of judges that will include members of the music industry and possibly a celebrity or two.
What do you think of the contest? Is this a legitimate attempt to empower employees or is McDonald’s exploiting their staff for cheap publicity? Let us know in the comments.