The news: McDonald’s is bringing back its Monopoly promotion after nearly a decade, with help from an unexpected retailer: Best Buy.

• The electronics retailer will be an official Prize partner, offering players the chance to win gift cards, free TVs, and other bonuses.
• Other available prizes include $1 million in cash, a $10,000 Lowe’s shopping trip, and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited.

McDonald’s seizes the moment: It’s no accident that McDonald’s Monopoly is returning at a tough time for the fast-food industry. While the chain has steadily expanding its value offerings to keep cost-conscious customers engaged, depressed sentiment and buying power among lower-income consumers remains a challenge.

Monopoly could give McDonald’s a healthy boost—and not just in short-term sales.

• Unlike previous editions, the game is only available to customers who download the app and join McDonald’s loyalty program.
• McDonald’s sees its app as a key component of its value proposition. Not only do loyalty members get access to exclusive promotions, they also benefit from a more personalized and convenient experience—and consequently visit more than twice as often as non-members.
• Given McDonald’s popularity among most US consumers, anything that drives order frequency is key to lifting sales, CEO Chris Kempczinski said on the company’s Q2 earnings call. “[Getting] more and more consumers to be in our loyalty program—that’s how we’re going to drive this business, because it’s going to be frequency-led growth.”

What’s in it for Best Buy: There are clear advantages to partnering with McDonald’s. First, the giveaways could pave the way for Best Buy shopping sprees this holiday season—especially since some of the digital bonuses will expire at the end of the year.

There is also the data component: Players who win $10 bonus rewards can only redeem them through their Best Buy accounts, giving the retailer an opportunity to expand its customer database and enhance the value of its retail media network.

Our take: The partnership between Best Buy and McDonald’s could be a harbinger of things to come, as companies across industries look for ways to broaden their appeal to value-seeking customers—and as retailers with media networks look to bring in more nonendemic advertising dollars.