Rap your McDonald's order at your own risk
It's generally a bad idea to try things you saw in a viral video, as four Utah teens learned this week when they were cited by police after rapping their McDonald's order. Personally, I think the only crime here is that they were re-enacting a 3-year-old YouTube clip that your in-laws have probably even seen (but we've included it below, just in case). Apparently they were also committing disorderly conduct by delaying the drive-through line and making an employee feel "her safety was at risk." So, as a public service, AdFreak would like give a nugget of advice to the teens of America: If Taco Bell's ad team has already beaten you to co-opting some lame white-boy Internet meme, it might be time to find a new prank. —Posted by David Griner |
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Published on October 30, 2009 | Permalink
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Burnett moved to poetry in McDonald's spot
Leo Burnett in London classes up McDonald's in this poetic U.K. spot about the types of people who pass by (or rather, through) the Golden Arches on a typical day. By focusing on the patrons, and not on the food, the ad does a nice job of presenting McDonald's as something slightly more than a boring, omnipresent fast-food chain serving unidentifiable meat to people in a hurry. The highbrow poetry is also balanced out by the lowbrow, unpretentious claim that McDonald's is literally for anyone and everyone. The rhyme scheme is unforced and smooth, too, which couldn't have been that easy to do. I wish they'd export this kind of stuff to the U.S., where all we've been getting is that faux-hipster McCafe crap. —Posted by David Kiefaber Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on October 20, 2009 | Permalink
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Caucasian idiot hypes McDonald's in Japan
A controversy is brewing in Japan over the latest McDonald's ads there, which feature a nerdy white foreigner who speaks in broken Japanese and generally acts like a moron. The character, named Mr. James, loves Japan and its people but reserves his true excitement (as seen in the ad below) for McDonald's food. Cardboard cutouts of Mr. James are everywhere, and the character is touring the country and posting about it on his blog. The campaign is only a few days old, but already there is backlash from those who think it's anti-white and anti-foreigner—and backlash to the backlash from those who think the West's depiction of Asians tends to be a lot worse. (Long Duk Dong's been mentioned.) We don't recall any U.S. McDonald's ad being anti-Asian, though of course Burger King did the questionable "Eat Like Snake" spot a few years back. Via Consumerist. See also: |
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Published on August 19, 2009 | Permalink
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Evil children can't wait to get to McDonald's
DDB Stockholm remains king of the weird McDonald's commercials with new spot above, in which the prototypical childhood car-trip question takes on a sinister aspect. "Not there yet? Stop at McDonald's!" a bird screams at the car at the end. In terms of weirdness, it's up there with some of the agency's other creations, including the cliffhanging french-fries eater and, below, the two dudes with the same nose. |
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Published on July 1, 2009 | Permalink
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McDonald's: for when your pick-up lines fail(Click the images to enlarge.) DDB Stockholm did this amusing six-panel print ad for McDonald's, in which a would-be Casanova gets ever more desperate with the one-liners during a night on the town—and then settles for a Big Mac. Tagline: "When it's time to go home since 1973."
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Published on June 1, 2009 | Permalink
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McDonald's ad helps you look like a jackass
This interactive McDonald's billboard is certainly entertaining the tourists in Piccadilly Circus, and honestly, I'm a little miffed that Micky D's never does anything like this over here in America. Then again, you don't need fancy advertising when your franchises are roughly 50 feet from each other. And it's nice that England is getting special treatment, giving that McDonald's ranks fairly high on the culinary meter there. —Posted by David Kiefaber |
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Published on May 22, 2009 | Permalink
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Egg ads engaged in philosophical scramble
These have to be the best two egg-related billboards to juxtapose. Or the worst, depending on whom you ask. There's an interesting philosophical point buried underneath all the irony, though. I wonder if any pro-lifers would reconsider the Egg McMuffin after this unintended reminder that, yes, there are fried embryos in that breakfast sandwich. Via World of Wonder. |
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Published on April 22, 2009 | Permalink
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Melons blitzed in mad Czech McDonald's ad
What in hell's name is going on in this McDonald's ad from the Czech Republic? It advertises something called the CBO, which is a McDonald's sandwich with chicken, bacon and onions. Beyond that, it's anybody's guess. From the looks of it, a cityscape is being attacked by giant seed-shedding watermelons, and the superhero-like CBO has been drafted to save the day. The onions are mad scientists who've invented some kind of new weapon, which the chicken will use in an aerial attack, with help from bacon, on the killer melons. The dialogue is hard to make out, not that that would necessarily clear things up. McDonald's hates fruit—maybe it's as simple as that. Perhaps DDB Prague can explain more. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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Published on April 6, 2009 | Permalink
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Wall-mounted fish not a big McDonald's fan
McDonald's gets the stupid-humor award this morning for this Filet-o-Fish commercial, in which a wall-mounted fish takes exception to his owner's choice of sandwich. "What if it were you hanging up on this wall," it sings. "If it were you in that sandwich, you wouldn't be laughing at all!" Pretty absurd, though still not as weird as Aaron Ruell's Filet-o-Fish spot. |
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Published on March 2, 2009 | Permalink
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McDonald's finds Nicky D's hard to swallow
McDonald's has sent a "strongly worded letter" warning a Detroit restaurant that it's name, Nicky D's, is a bit too close to the trademarked Mickey D's. The bigger and more absurd issue: the N in the Nicky D's logo looks just like the Golden Arches with a piece missing. When a local reporter pointed this out to Nicky D's owner Zef Dedvukaj, he replied blankly, "Oh, does it? Didn't know, sorry." Dedvukaj adds that his place specializes in corned beef, not burgers, so what's the big deal? It all sounds like something out of an Eddie Murphy movie. Actually, there are plenty of Nicky D's around; it's the sign that'll get Dedvukaj sued. Maybe he should send a little message to his graphic designer, courtesy of the Corned Beef Burglar. |
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Published on December 3, 2008 | Permalink
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Try some more creepy-ass McDonald's ads
—Posted by David Kiefaber |
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Published on October 6, 2008 | Permalink
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It's either McDonald's fries or certain death
The characters in DDB Stockholm's McDonald's commercials tend to find themselves in rough spots. When they're not suffering from wrenching nightmares, they're having to choose between McDonald's french fries and Wile E. Coyote-style death plunges while hanging precariously off the sides of cliffs. For the guy shown here, it's a difficult but ultimately obvious decision. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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Published on August 29, 2008 | Permalink
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