McCafe, been done before, but still cute

Let us be honest, just type "coffee cup as alarm clock" and the images will come flooding through. So yes, it has been done before, but heck, it is still cute. And the yellow background is indeed catchy, and the price is unbeatable honestly. All of this is to celebrate McCafe (which unsurprisingly is inside your McDonald's branch), and its latest offering for a morning morning coffee. "Wake up, Fuel up" - and yes for a campaign all over town my image is corny, but live with it!

McDonald's has a new boss in town

Well, who knew? Apparently there is a new boss in town, just ask McDonald's. McDonald's - and according to the ad for a "limited time" - is bringing the Swiss & Mushroom burger. There is so much hoopla about this McDonald's is plastering on every other billboard in town. The ad, interestingly, goes away from usually jovial McDonald's ads - in offers and new products - and goes towards black (probably to imply shady dealings or whatnot) which paradoxically makes it more noticeable but also less associated with McDonald's truth be told. Still, if you are a fan, and since is for a limited time, you know where to go.

McDonald's (no, you are not drunk)

In 1995 we did a major presentation about the environment (yes, I know I was ahead of the curve), the invite had a "double font" - one of my teachers asked me "are we supposed to be drunk". Well, not only was I ahead of the curve for the environment, now McDonald's did the same with the font. In all honestly I cannot say I dislike it, because, ahem I did it before them. But the ad really does a cute element to it. And the price is basically unbeatable to be honest. 

McDonald's McArabia - it wasn't broken and they did not fix it

 
All right, so it seems McDonald's is re-introducing its McArabia sandwich (on a flying carpet no less!) and the ad is very clear - it is back but not for long. Look, the ad is "OK". I mean how better can you portray a McArabia sandwich... Except, you can!

Please welcome the original Chicken McArabia ad. Blink and you'll miss it. The genius of it? The Arab is written from right to left as opposed to the Latin... Look again at the McArabia Chicken logo... it was flipped!

Dear McDonald's if it isn't broken, don't fix it. Because fix it you did not do for sure... You know, once you own an iconic ad, nothing wrong in repeating it. I love the ad so much it is among my top 10 favorite (here).

McDonald's Lebanon is well, Lebanese, as in really

So McDonald's is really, REALLY, trying to really assert its Lebanese identity - obviously following the boycott after the Gaza debacle. See the film here. There is oud, dabke, Lebanese joie de vie, a Lebano-Arabico soundtrack and all the elements that should make it work. But somehow it leaves us wanting. I mean, the film makes it very clear where its ingredients come from - Lebanese producers and companies etc. Fine, and everyone joins in a - literal song and dance - and the final copy McDonald's our hand with the hand of Lebanon gives it you in case you did not get it, yet. See the film here. The characters are nice, but somehow, it reminds me of all those musicals where everyone breaks out in a choreographed number at once, out of nowhere, and does not make much sense. Reminds me of Americana, which following also a case of boycott, went with the slogan "100% Arab".

McDonald's Lebanon has gold on its hands

So here it is. And you need to flip your head to read it. Actually the copy is so genius is reads "turn it in your head and let us know". What is this all about? Well, the upside-down ad for McDonald's recruitment in Lebanon (baristas and crew are needed for all branches apparently). And of course the M from McDonad's flipped reads W.... Really, sometimes the solution is so simple it is genius.

McDonald's goes lent without calling it so

McDonald's has an offer for a "veggie burger" (the ad says "we picked you one") for a "limited time". Guess what the limited time is? Lent! Of course, there is no such mention of it, and also no mention of fish-o-filet which was literally invented at the time for Christians who abstained on meat on Fridays. So here we are are again, lent time but don't call it so. If interested about places mentioning lent go to Mr. Brown (here). Crepaway (here). and the first to mention the word in their ad in 2012 Classic Burger Joint (here).

KFC vs. McDonald's - Compare and contrast

I am not saying they did, I am not saying they didn't. But KFC issued a cute campaign where they took off their doors to say they are open 24/24... McDonald's had done it in Ecuador in 2019. Compare and contrast and watch out - don't bang the door on the way out.

Taanayel les fermes vs McDonald's - Compare and contrast

I am not saying they did, and I am not saying they didn't.

But there's an ad for everyone there. And yes McDonald's was the first.

KFC - sharing is caring

KFC has got a campaign running, based on the concept of "for sharing" or in Arabic "tastier together" (which implies that not only the meal is shared but that there is a certain mix in the meal, which is misleading: there isn't). Still, it is interesting that fast food joints are running campaigns concurrently (see Pizza Hut and McDonald's). Granted, each has their own reason but their presence all together on the market seems to indicate that the market is thriving and doing well. Please note, I rarely go out to begin with, and much less to fast food joints - so yes, maybe they are all doing brisk business. But all signs point to a market that has collapsed at this point.

McDonald's Lebanon and 25 years come in a checkered festivity

So lately McDonald's Lebanon is celebrating 25 years in the land, but it has also been embroiled in what is happening in Israel-Palestine (here). So not sure about the timing but these are festivities dipped in controversy what's with brands being boycotted left and right due to the support of the Israeli side of the issues. Whereas 25 years calls for celebrations and if instagram is any indication, the ad dates back to October 11 (here) - which is after October 7 when all hell broke lose - and already the comments beneath it are very telling. Well, McDonald's Lebanon has been dragged into this big time, whether they wanted it or not.

McDonald's Lebanon is being dragged into what is happening in Palestine

"No two countries that both have a McDonald's have ever fought a war against each other" or so said Thomas Friedman in his book The Lexus and The Olive Tree (1996). OK, fine, the principle proved wrong, first India and Pakistan in 1999 over Kashmir, followed by Israel and Lebanon in 2006, Russia and Georgia in 2008 - although not in a declared war - Russia and Ukraine in 2022. Did you know that between 1968 to 1990 Coca-Cola was boycotted in the Arab world by order of the League of Arab Nations since it provided "financial help for Israel" in the 1967 six day war? And now McDoland's in Israel has been distributing free food with "we came!" written in Hebrew under their logo.

This prompted the Lebanese owners of McDonald's to come clean and issue a statement - the gist of which is - we are a Lebanese company and we have nothing to do with what other franchisees are doing in other countries (read the full communique here). Honestly, can't I just enjoy my Happy Meal in peace? Bfff.... What a strange, convoluted world we live in.

McDonald's Lebanon brings on 2023

So here we are, no rest for the just. Or no rest for the blogger who posts about ads. Right bang in the middle of the night, McDonald's perfectly integrates its logo in its 2023 wishes. And it works... I said it before, it is difficult to integrate one's offering in terms of brand in one's own ads, especially when it comes to festive moments. 

McDonald's becomes "my burger" in Russia. Logo/name unveiled. (UPDATE)

So here you go: McDonald's no more.

After opening to exceptional fanfare in 1990 in Russia, McDonald's basically scaled back its operations (but could not completely eradicate them as several branches are sublet to other companies). But now that the fast food giant is out of the country what's with the transition time, it has been replaced by "My Burger" - which apparently is a "transitory name" (good luck with that, usually transitory things are here to stay, look at any detour on a Lebanese highway supposed to be "temporary" - it has been so for around 3 decades). In an update to the post, apparently the name is now "Vkusno i Tochka" which means, "tasty and that's it" with a selling line that goes "the name changes, the love stays" in an apparent riff of McDonald's "I'm lovin' it".

So the logo is supposed to symbolize 2 fries and a burger in the shape of the letter "m". Ok reading the letter in question could be stretching it, and of course the logo is an interpretation of other things as well such as a lopsided wifi signal, or the Marriot Hotel logo which also suspended operations in Russia  (see here) or as Botrus Hajj said (whom you met here) "like a footballer kicking a ball". My friend back from university Ossama Dimassi pointed out the analogy with the Adidas logo and he was right as well.

So here we are, the opening of McDonald's on Pushkin square in Moscow was such a seismic event, the opening of My Burger less so.

Living in Lebanon today feels like being in Macondo

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

The story goes that the idea of One Hundred Years Of Solitude came to Garbiel Garcia Marquez while driving his car with his wife next to him. Suddenly he stopped talking, went home, to his office and only came out when the novel was finished to which his wife said "it's better be worth it". Thankfully it was.

Now, the whole story happens in a town called Macondo that Garcia Marquez invented himself. A lot of strange and weird things happen there believe me. And for a long while, living in Lebanon feels like living in Macondo. Everything is surreal. Nothing makes sense. Take last winter, it was long, damp, humid, cold, and incredibly testing. All means of heating have gone exponential in price, which made all efforts of heating incredibly futile and very expensive (I myself have a central heater, so apart from the diesel price which was exorbitant I needed electricity to turn it on, with state electricity not coming at all, I had to rely on a communal generator I subscribe to which in itself was rationed and still is).

So it rained on Macondo for "four years, eleven months, and two days" which trust me, this is how long winter felt in Lebanon. I mean on March 15, it snowed in my backyard. Which in itself is an anomaly.

And the massacre mentioned in "One Hundred Years Of Solitude"? Feels the same in Lebanon. An event happens, a tragic, traumatizing one. Next thing you know all evidence of such event are taken out and the even is no longer spoken of or mentioned and the existence of which is denied if ever it was so. Typically Lebanon if you ask me.

And the analogies go on and on... Garcia Marquez' masterpiece is classified under magic realism, which at this point, living in Lebanon subscribes to neither - there is no magic and there is no realism whatsoever.

"It's better be worth it" said Mercedes Garcia Marquez. Right now in Lebanon it is not.  

Epica Awards 2021 are now out!

And the Epica Awards results for this year are out! Yes, my favorite "Helmet Has Always Been A Good Idea" won (as I said earlier I don't always pick them right, but that's what happens when tens upon tens of journalists in the communication world get to vote!) in addition to this funny masterpiece (and everyone at Epica knows how much I love Scandinavian humor), there was another Grand Prix for the "Festive" ad by Burberry (certainly not my choice, but it seems I was outnumbered!).

RESPONSIBILITY: VMLY&R Istanbul – “The Rainbow Hack”, Change.org etc. 

• PR: BBDO Belgium – “The Breakaway”, Decathlon which gave prisoners the ability to form an e-cycling team. A brilliant initiative indeed.
• ALTERNATIVE: Wunderman Thompson UK – “The Homeless Bank Account”, HSBC which makes it easier for homeless people to sign up for a bank account (a catch 22 situation usually - because one can only sign up with a fixed address)
• DESIGN: Wunderman Thompson Colombia – “Waterlight”, Edina Energy (a brilliant invention if there was any!)
• DIGITAL: Wunderman Thompson Belgium – “.comdom”, Telenet app which protects the intimate images used in “sexting” from wider diffusion

• PRINT: Leo Burnett UK – “Lights On”, McDonald’s
• FILM: Riff Raff Films, UK – “Festive”, Burberry as I said prior, not exactly my choice.
• FILM: &Co./NoA, Denmark – “Helmet Has Always Been A Good Idea”, Danish Road Safety Council, a proof is any needed that Scandinavian humor is beyond funny.

A Christmas of big fat productions and little else.

Doc Morris or how Christmas ads should be done

Well, after Coca-Cola's forgettable Chimney Christmas ad (here), now comes the McDonald's lackluster one (here), I also saw (the usually very good) John Lewis which itself was underwhelming (here), and then Tesco's foray which - along the rest of them - is cute but only so (here). It seems this is the year of big productions with large budget but short-thrifted in terms of ideas. Nothing here is memorable - or will stand the test of time (such as John Lewis featuring Elton John - here - or the "man on the moon" 2015 jewel - here). Compare this year's crop to Doc Morris pharmacy 2020's incredibly heartwarming ad of the grandfather who is out of shape and who has "found his purpose" as he trains daily for some objective we never understand (until the wonderful denouement of the ad!) - please watch the ad here to see the difference in tone, memorability, and yes, emotional value.

Burger King Belgium and that smart McDonald's dig

So Burger King Belgium is reopening its stores. Good for them after jumping, like the rest of us, from one lockdown to another and from one difficult situation to another. So they're launching this cute campaign where they show forgotten things in their locales and invite people to get them back (a cell phone, a birthday balloon, a backpack).... thrown in the melee is a McDonald's employee cap. Had the McDonald's cap been a stand alone, it would have been too "badly seen" but being part of a bigger campaign not only reinforces its wit and charm but also dilutes the acrimony. To be honest though, very well played from Burger King.

All this reminds us of the uber funny The Onion which published (back in 1997!) a satirical article about how Cola industry veterans are getting their own memorial following the lovely Coca-Cola/Pepsi war.

I watched all the SuperBowl ads so you don't have to (and only one is worth watching)

So no one asked for Dolly Parton to rework her "9to 5" lyrics for SquareSpace (into 5 to 9), or for Leslie Grace and Meek Mill to spoil Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine's "Conga" for Baccardi (note to Baccardi, why not run of your old "Be what you wanna be" ads from the 90s?), or for Lil' Nas to - hey, I cannot ever remember what ad he was on! Or for McDoland's to continue the "let's-wreck-every-track-people-loved" saga this year with a mashup by DJ Earworm of songs including 24kGldn's "Mood," J. Balvin's "Mi Gente," Celine Dion's "All Coming Back To Me Now," (which originally is by Meatloaf) Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire" and The Proclaimers' "500 Miles", which sort of ruined them all. Sketchers decided to include an NFL player and their budget did not got as high as Tom Brady and Gisele so they ended up with Tony Romo. 

While Amazon picked Michael B. Jordan as the "body of Alexa" - which considering how bad the other ads are made this one seem genuinely good (even if, on a decent year it would be average). Will Farrell in a silly slapstick for GM along with Awkwafina does not invite you to join the ride. Lenny Kravitz jumps in for Stella Artois in a decent effort which is half shot and half animated. The weeknd predictably stars in the - what else? - but the Pepsi commercial (he is after all this year's star of the half time!). Bud Light recreates that frog raining scene from Magnolia but with lemons (to promote their own flavored lemon-tasting drink) because "when life gives you lemons" (you know all the wrong things that happened last year). Michelob Ultra asks the daft question:"Are you happy because you win? Or do you win because you're happy?" using Serena Williams, Peyton Manning, Anthony Davis, Brooks Koepka, Jimmy Butler and Alex Morgan.

Mountain Due certified that John Cena knows how to count (to 3) (Note to Mountain Due, you really should have bought Daniel Johnston's lovely tune!), Tide played along with Jason Alexander - supposedly it was funny, not sure how though. And Uber Eats revived Wayne's World. Mind you as I am writing this I am still scrolling though "just insert a celebrity and pretend it is funny" ads. 

Now there is however a lovely ad worth watching. The superb Anheuser-Busch: "Let's Grab a Beer". Because, "It's never just about the beer. It's about being together." After 2020, would anyone dare argue?

McDonald's #Iftarsandclock

The saying goes "a watched pot does not boil". But in a clever move, waiting for the end of daily fast with this #Iftarsandclock from McDonald's could make it more bearable or aesthetically pleasing (just look what shapes they come in!) - at least this is a culturally sensitive move from the brand at a time when the world is both - far apart, divided but also paradoxically assembled and near. The gadbet my not speed up the iftar (or the time when the McDonald's branches open) - but hey, it is a conversation starter.