McDonald’s has launched a national premier DJ competition called Flavor Battle, where three DJs will battle it out online and at Sprite Steff Off events.

Each DJ will represent a McDonald’s burger (I’m praying they have to dress up like them too) and audience members can vote for their favourite burger SMS. Every text will count as a entry into the Flavor Battle sweepstakes as an extra incentive to vote.

Some blurb from McD’s:

“Utilizing text as the voting mechanism offers instant gratification to our young consumers in attendance at the McDonald’s Flavor Battle,” Mr. Jackson said. “We were looking for a mechanism that captured their response immediately – voting for their favorite DJ and, at the conclusion of each event, seeing the measurable results.

“We’re also excited to be able to offer them a benefit – an entry into the Flavor Battle sweepstakes,” he said.

I really like SMS voting mechanics especially for live events, it’s a great way to engage the audience especially when they can make a difference on the outcome. You can also carry on the dialogue with them once the event has finished alerting them to new competitions, promotions,  battle dates or downloadable content (with a opt-out option of course).