Episode 146 - McDonald’s A Second of Happiness Reviewed by Performance Marketing World and Minor Figures
That moment when you get your McDonald’s delivery - would you describe it as true happiness? It’s the claim McDonald’s is making with its McDelivery ad, “A Second of Happiness,” created by DDB Colombia.
These photos taken by delivery drivers are very relatable, but is the campaign recognisable enough for the brand? Does the ad chosen by Contagious for this week’s episode help McDonald’s in their attempt to own happiness? Or does it fall flat with our guests Lucy Shelley (Multimedia Editor and Podcast Host at Performance Marketing World) and JJ Foan (Head of Digital at Minor Figures)?
Watch the full episode to find out!
Episode 146 - McDonald’s A Second of Happiness Reviewed by Performance Marketing World and Minor Figures
Transcript is automatically generated, so not perfect, but you get the idea!
Tom Ollerton 0:00
Hello and welcome to Advertisers Watching Ads. My name is Tom Ollerton, and this is a weekly show where brands watch other brands' ads.
Tom Ollerton 0:31
Hi, I'm Tom Ollerton. I'm the founder of the creative effectiveness platform, Automated Creative, and we are brought to you as ever by our partners, Contagious, who have helped choose this week's ad. But before we see that, let's meet this week's guests.
Lucy Shelley 0:44
Hi, I am Lucy Shelley. I am Multimedia Editor and Podcast Host at Performance Marketing World.
Jonathan Foan 0:51
And I'm JJ Foan, and I'm the Head of Digital at Minor Figures.
Tom Ollerton 0:55
Brilliant. Thanks for joining us today, guys. Let's see this week's ad.
Tom Ollerton 2:13
I'd like you to give this campaign a vote out of five. So on the count of three... One, two, three... McDonalds, you've done well. Okay. Lucy, when you first saw that, what was your impression?
Lucy Shelley 2:41
I liked it. It made me smile. It made me dance. I had a really good time watching it, and it also surprised me a bit as well.
Jonathan Foan 2:50
I think the marketer in me absolutely loved it and the thought that went behind it. And then, my second thought was, if I saw that as an ad, would I have any idea what was going on? So I'm kind of torn a bit.
Tom Ollerton 3:00
What quite interested me was that they used some of that footage in, in the restaurant. They snapped it and then turned it into a case study. So what actually happened here?
Jonathan Foan 3:08
It feels like a really smart, like strat observation. And the tapping into that moment when... because I think it's a really relatable moment when everyone... Like... I could, I could picture the meeting room when the strategy... agency presented the insight. It's interesting what, how it fits in with kind of like what they actually did with that.
Lucy Shelley 3:28
I also didn't know about the before and after of the Einstein picture. And it might not have quite matched the humor of the, of the Einstein one at the beginning. And my favorite thing when I see an ad, when it gives me something that I can tell other people that, "Oh guys, did you know... Have you seen the McDonald's ad where you've seen that before and after the really famous Einstein photo?" And yeah, I think that, I think that's a winning takeaway for an ad if you just wanted to talk about it with other people.
Jonathan Foan 3:53
Yeah, I think the... the core insight and the idea behind it, is brilliant, is so cool, but it feels... The execution of it feels a bit like... And I've been in so many rooms where it's been the same in big brands where like everybody adds a little bit and you end up kind of like trying to build a racehorse and end up building a camel by committee. Sort of what it feels like in execution because I think if you strip all of that out and you strip the work hat out and you strip the, perhaps with the cameras out, actually all they're doing is capturing those moments of joy. And you can do that just as well, like in a studio with a crew, you know... And I, I wonder if you're walking past McDonald's and you just see a photo of someone holding a bag, opening the door, would that relieve... If you need all of this stuff behind it or actually if it is just a shoot?
Lucy Shelley 4:38
But I think that's why I really liked it, because you see all these moments in people's lives, you know, a group of girls having a, you know, getting a McDelivery together, you know, a couple moving in, a not so happy man receiving a delivery to give to someone else. I like seeing all those, all those moments because I think they are all very relatable and probably all can relate to a different, different people in different ways as well.
Tom Ollerton 5:00
Yeah. I hadn't thought about it. I didn't notice any of those life stages.
Jonathan Foan 5:04
That's the bit I like the most. I think I agree with you is that like... The accessible... It's so relatable, right? Those moments.
Tom Ollerton 5:09
What else could you do with this, Lucy? How... How could you make this bigger? What is this? Dare I ask? How does this work from a performance perspective? You know, these go... these images going into ads at like half five on a Friday on social platforms.
Lucy Shelley 5:23
Going on to social, people sharing it, and it makes people want to get involved with it. So they might just order a delivery from, you know, for the chance of being in part of this great McDonald's film that's being created of all these different people, which then people can share on social. And I thought that was a really kind of obvious next step that I'd take with it. Because I think people love getting their 5 seconds of fame. It's very normal, ordinary people that are then being, you know, given this great exposure. And I think that's great, but I do think it's also about having them in the shop. I'd have them outside the shop or in other out-of-home places around the city.
Jonathan Foan 6:05
Feels like, something that... Someone's had a great idea, they're like, "Wait a minute, how do we... How can we sell this to someone that can afford to buy it?" It doesn't have to be a Maccies' ad, does it? There's nothing about Mac is really other than the fact that it's delivery. But I could easily say this with a, with an everybody's logo on it and it would land just as well. Maybe that's me being cynical.
Lucy Shelley 6:24
But I kind of feel like as well McDonald's almost tried to own happiness and you know, the happiness that comes with ordering the Happy Meal. And you know, we've had brands own colors, especially recently with pink but owning happiness. I mean it's a, it's a bold ambition.
Tom Ollerton 6:39
Would you sign off the campaign as a whole in its current form, a thumbs up or down, yes or no? One, two, three... It's just great... JJ, Lucy, thank you so much for your time. See you next week.
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