McD’s ‘raise your arches’ raises an important brand lesson (and how to avoid a disciplinary)

By Baz Richardson, Founder & Creative Director at BravoCreative Every so often, a good ad comes along that gets our chins wagging. Usually, we have to be good girls and boys and wait until Christmas for a visual treat from the brands vying for our hearts and minds (thanks John Lewis for starting that proverbial […]
mcdonalds advert

By Baz Richardson, Founder & Creative Director at BravoCreative

Every so often, a good ad comes along that gets our chins wagging. Usually, we have to be good girls and boys and wait until Christmas for a visual treat from the brands vying for our hearts and minds (thanks John Lewis for starting that proverbial snowball fight).

However, judging by the many articles and social media comments, Christmas has come early in the form of McDonalds’ ‘raise your arches’ ad. It’s fair to say this new campaign is helping to brighten the doom and gloom of Meh-urary. Especially for the ad’s target market – over-worked and hungry office workers craving more than a blandwich.

There are many reasons to like this ad. Fear not, I’ve whittled it down to just three in order to cover them swiftly before I get to what I believe is the ultimate takeaway for marketers (no McPun intended).

The bold strategy

So how do you successfully sell burgers to office workers? Well judging by this strategy, you completely defy convention and don’t show the product at all. That’s right, there’s not a solitary sesame seed in sight. It’s a classic ‘sell the sizzle not the sausage’ strategy. Although to be fair, this isn’t even selling the sizzle. It’s selling the craving for said sizzle. Try saying that quickly five times.

The brainwashed re-branding

The boldness continues. Because if the absent product wasn’t enough, the brand has seemingly disappeared too. Or has it? Yes, there’s the initial M on the brand-coloured post-it note. But from then on, for 47 seconds in fact, we’ve been successfully brainwashed into recognising the famous golden arches are now anthropomorphised and represented as (the otherwise suggestive) double eyebrow raise. Oh, McDonald’s, how we bow at your immense brand power to be able to pull this off (more on this shortly).

The Hollywood-esque easter eggs

Directed by Edgar Wright of Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, and Baby Driver fame, the ad naturally feels cinematic. But as well as a great film director, Wright is notable for his visual choreography and easter eggs. And that makes this ad a feast for the eyes.

The Hot Fuzz reference’

Beyond the obvious eyebrow grooving, Wright peppers the ad with easter eggs galore. There are Hot Fuzz-esque whiteboard tricks, and clever brand-coloured clothing throughout (the manager’s red tapered fries box skirt is a nice touch). And it’s no accident there are two protagonists and two window cleaners who continually make many onscreen M’s. Yes really. You only need to watch the brilliant Baby Driver coffee run scene to see how Edgar Wright deliberately hides and synchronises cleverly art-directed dialogue, props and street graffiti with soundtracks.

The ‘Wright’ trick

So what’s the biggest takeaway for marketers?

Patience.

What? After all that ad’s brilliance Baz, your single takeaway is ‘patience’?!?!?

Well, and a sprinkling of steadfastness.

You see, this ad is good. But, it was 62 years in the making.

The golden arches were first used in 1961. And the only real heavy tinkering was seven years later when the diagonal line (representing the dine-in’s roofs) was removed from the brand mark in 1968. And while McDonald’s hasn’t made any revolutionary changes, both Burger King and KFC have each made far heavier brand changes at least three times in the same six decades.

The BOLDen arches

Could you recognise a Burger King ad simply by seeing an office worker wearing a Burger King orange shirt? I know I couldn’t. But were people recognising window cleaners wearing Mcdonald’s colours? Absolutely!

Non-advertising types were spotting the feast of branded easter eggs

The McDonald’s brand has benefitted from over six decades of investment and preservation. And like any investment, there comes a time when you can dine out on it.

Some brands aspire to become verbs; to Google, to Hoover etc. But when you can skip the verb and turn the brand’s monogram into a recognisable gesture, that really is drawing on the funds in the brand ATM.

There are more fries in a Big Mac meal than brands that could make an ad of this calibre. And it’s thanks to a legacy of investment, patience, and steadfastness in the face of those seeking a refresh. Which we know happens all too often.

Nearing 65 years old, McDonald’s golden arches are nearing retirement age. But it never will. This ad is testimony to the power of knowing when you’re on to a good thing.

To coin their own phrase, I’m lovin’ it! Because if you’ve got it flaunt it. And if you haven’t got it… build it until you can flaunt it.

Oh, and regarding the disciplinary part of the headline. If you are going to suggestively ‘raise your arches’ at a colleague, just be sure to second guess they’ll get the Mcdonald’s reference. You don’t want to be hauled in front of HR defending “I was just asking if she wanted a quick McMuffin”.

Baz Richardson, is the Founder & Creative Director at BravoCreative. As well as the fabulous creative behind The Marketing Meetup rebrand (and producer of the video that gets our webinars off to a groovin’ start) Baz solves business and marketing challenges with genius ideas and creativity that really does make audiences exclaim Bravo!