Ever since we heard in September that Wieden + Kennedy New York had been named lead U.S. creative agency for McDonald's, we've obviously been wondering what the resulting work would look like.
While McDonald's continues to do work with decades-long partner DDB, the account shift certainly seemed to herald the potential for new era of the brand's marketing in its home country. So what would that look like?
Well now we know.
A fun spot from W+K New York called "Famous Orders" will run prior to this Sunday's Super Bowl kickoff, meaning it's not technically a Super Bowl ad. Definitely take a moment to click through and check out the spot, which has a simple but enjoyably pause-worthy premise.
In that writeup, I've also embedded the agency's first work for McDonald's, which rolled out during the Grammys earlier this month. Those spots focus on individual ingredients—not a new premise in the fast food game, but one handled well here as voiced by ... Brian Cox? (Everyone has a different point of reference for Cox, but he'll always be Max Fischer's principal in Rushmore to me.)
What we don't see in W+K's ads so far are people. For a brand like McDonald's that built its advertising on folksy scenes of its restaurants as community gathering places (for some reason I always picture a tween first date), this approach could theoretically feel a bit too detached and institutional, but W+K obviously excels at infusing personality into its work through clever copywriting and subtly warm art direction.
Also, have you been in a McDonald's lately? If the answer is no, that might be because we live in an era of delivery. If the answer is yes, you've probably seen those big-ass monolithic slablets that take your order without having to pretend to smile. In short, a focus on food makes sense in an era where the only interactions at a McDonald's are seniors arguing about what's on CNN.
But something tells me we'll still be seeing plenty of nostalgia from the brand. And if W+K eventually gives up and makes an awkward tween date ad, I'm buying all of you a McRib.
David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
David.Griner@Adweek.com
