McDonald’s new ad combines nostalgia and surrealism in an unlikely but captivating way. The commercial is for their new range of “Collectors Cups”, six limited edition designs which have gone on sale as part of a “Collectors Meal”. In a strangely meta twist for the brand, each cup commemorates several older McDonald’s collectables. These stretch across the decades that the chain has been giving away toys and prizes with its Happy Meals and other promotions. The references cover everything from a Grimace Mug with big purple feet to the exclusive McDonald’s Beanie Babies.
So that’s the nostalgia part. The surrealism comes in with the action of the ad, in which ordinary people are shocked to witness giant, Godzilla-size versions of all these old McDonald’s giveaways making their way through cities and across country. The sight of colossal old Happy Meal toys is certainly a unique, distinctive and very strange one, which helps the ad stand out, even if there’s no particular reason for it.
It’s an ad which feels designed to spark Millennial nostalgia for the toys and treats of their childhood, but it’s also tapping into a recent revival of interest in the stranger parts of the McDonald’s mythology. It’s no coincidence that the ad starts off with a toy based on Grimace, the purple monster that’s become a cult figure on social media. After an era where the clowns, burglars and monsters of McDonaldland took a back seat in the ads to smiling servers and in-store families, these distinctive McDonald’s assets are back on the menu and popular all over again.
It all makes for a creative and satisfyingly weird ad which stands out on screens and makes strong use of brand assets. But how does it play with the public? It does well, hitting 3.8-Stars on our Test Your Ad platform. That suggests good potential to grow the brand given the right investment, and is also well ahead of the overall US average.
The ad is stronger on our other two metrics, though, with a good score on short-term Spike Rating suggesting high potential to boost immediate sales – which is the primary aim of any limited promotion, of course. Finally McDonald’s scores an Exceptional rating on Brand Fluency, the ability of people to recognize the brand. That’s hardly surprising given how much the ad leans on the brand’s assets, built up over the years. Overall it’s a set of results which indicate the positive impact of the ad might just last longer than the Collector’s Meal promotion itself.
“From the start, we talked about tapping into existing memories and creating new ones. I love how System1’s scores help show that: with very high emotional intensity and high Spike score, suggesting a mix of emotion and action.
And it's been proven out: this was meant to be a 4-week campaign that sold out in half the time. Just shows the power of McDonald's own celebrity and memories, when executed the right way.”
Tass Tsitsopoulos
Global Strategy Director, Wieden + Kennedy NY
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