Sorry, the new McDonald’s ad is really good.

You might have heard – McDonald’s released a new ad. And it’s causing a bit of a stir amongst marketers. The Drum says it has “absolutely no identifiable branding”. This person called John says he “hates it”.

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Others love its whimsy. It’s fun, it’s different, it’s a departure from anything else they’ve done.

Marketing folk are crying out: where is the product?? Where are the restaurants??

Well guess what? That doesn’t matter. This ad doesn’t need the product or the restaurants. Because it’s not selling the product, it’s selling a feeling. It’s selling a mood.

Fancy a McDonald’s?

Here’s what I thought was great about it 👇

It creates this thing called mental availability

The literal only purpose of this campaign is to sustain mental availability for McDonald’s – capitalising on a sentiment they’ve been working on for years. They want you to think of them when you’re feeling hungry, you don’t have anything with you and you fancy indulging at a reasonable price.

“Fancy a McDonald’s?” Or more accurately, “fancy a Maccies?” has been said millions of times over in the UK. It’s a sentiment shared by young and old – university student, hungover graduate, excited child and exhausted parent. And it’s been carefully cultivated over the last 20 years.

They’re telling you – reminding you – that “fancy a McDonald’s?” Is a thing we all say, and it feels good to know that there’s more people out there saying it. And they’re telling you it’s okay to indulge a little bit, and go get a McDonald’s with your friends, family or colleagues.

Repetition and memorability

The ad is essentially one minute of a bunch of different types of people doing the same thing to the same sound. Over and over. And as you’re watching, you’re seeing these people and subconsciously thinking that’s me! That’s My co-workers! My friends! My enemies! You see yourself in the scene as it repeats the message: we’re going to McDonald’s and this is going to be fun.

Humans are associative beings. When we hear a thing, we think of the visual it came with. When we see something, we associate it with a place we’ve been. Et cetera.

The song stayed in my head literally all day today. And what was I doing subconsciously? Raising my eyebrows. And when I was raising my eyebrows and humming the tune, I was thinking about McDonald’s, whether I liked it or not.

Is this the shortest shorthand ever?

I can just see it now. It’s my girlfriend’s birthday in a couple of weeks time. We’re going to the pub on a Saturday night and we’re going to celebrate with a big bunch of friends and family. And on Sunday morning, we’re gonna be really hungover.

And I’m going to look over at her, and do two eyebrow raises. And instead of thinking what she usually thinks when I do this (“please stop being cheesy, I am very hungover”), she will think “yes, I do fancy an Egg & Cheese McMuffin, actually”.

The same will happen in offices around the UK. At the university library. On the shop floor. After school. Just two little eyebrow raises now means let’s go to McDonald’s and that is so powerful.

So. Many. Brand. Codes.

Lots of the commentary about this ad has been about the pure lack of product. A whole minute without hamburgers?? Not a single nugget?? How could they!

Well, this is how. Make an ad about how McDonald’s makes you feel and fill it with memory marketers that make it clear this is about McDonald’s, because it uses all the things you’ve been taught about McDonald’s over the years by their advertising (apart from one, very glaring omission…)

Look at all this brand coding 👇👇👇

Here we are in the first few seconds. It’s a relatable scene for millions – you’re in the office, it’s a normal day, nothing spectacular is happening. But then! Look, it’s the McDonald’s red and yellow, coming in to save the day!

McDonald’s walks in, slaps some papers on a desk, and inspires the journey the main characters go on throughout the rest of the ad.

Next up – no words, just the Golden Arches. These two friends literally don’t say anything to each other, but each knows the other means “let’s go to this hamburger franchise”.

More McDonald’s colours! As the office slowly empties. The team are off on an adventure, and boy are these red and yellow window cleaners happy about it.

This might have been my favourite. It’s so subtle, but it’s very clearly on purpose. This is the same panelling they have in most modern McDonald’s restaurants. And the screens? they’re the screens behind the tills or the big touchscreens you can order on. Nice.

There’s the McDonald’s-coloured cleaners again.

Wait, did I say that the screens-on-the-wall bit was my favourite? Well scrap that, because THIS bit is. Surely this is a very subtle reference to Ronald McDonald?? A character that we haven’t seen for years and years in any of McDonald’s marketing, after they begun phasing him out.

This fella with yellow gloves and a blue overall sure does look down on his luck until he finds out they’re going to McDonald’s, and then he leads the charge!

(I may be reading too much into it at this point, but I can’t help but think I’m right)

It made “the arches” a thing again

McDonald’s oldest brand code – the Golden Arches – have been refreshed for 2023. If this ad gets enough reach, people will start associating every human face with McDonald’s, because there they are again, literally on every human being’s face.

The only thing stopping them? Dark sunglasses.

In short, this is an incredible piece of brand work

And I love it. It describes a mood everyone’s felt at some point. Indulge a little, take life a little less seriously. Fancy a McDonald’s?

It’s memorable. Catchy tune, silly people.

It creates a non-verbal language; a way of saying “let’s go get some nugs” without saying anything at all.

And it is full. Of. Brand. Coding.

Nice work, McDonald’s.

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