McDonald’s Goes Unbranded & Carlsberg Finds Its Roots: 5 Ads You Should Watch Right Now
Every week Unruly scours the web for the latest and greatest bits of creative for your viewing pleasure – and then compiles them into this handy list so you can catch up before the weekend.
This week’s selection features ads from Subway, Panasonic and Carlsberg – as well as a novel spot from McDonald’s (‘that place where Coke tastes great’).
The ad in question features comedienne Mindy Kaling, and pretty much nothing else. Apart from some tell-tale colours in the background, the ad intentionally avoids the McDonald’s name and brand in a clever effort to engage viewers through search.
Elsewhere in the list is a dramatic and effective ad from Lucozade, which tells the story of Boxing heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, and an inventive spot from Panasonic and creative agency Brave.
Enjoy!
5. Subway – More Adventurous You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUBHGjJb94Q
Subway has a reputation for creating silly ads, and this bizarre UK spot is no different. The ad is clearly targeted at 9-5 city workers, challenging them to ditch their ‘ham and cheese’ lunches for something a little more adventurous. The ad is surprisingly effective, and will definitely resonate with consumers who are a fed up with the Tupperware lifestyle.
4. Panasonic – Bringing Hollywood to your home
Advertising high-fidelity technology is notoriously difficult – how do you sell someone on the glory of 4K when they’re using a device that can’t output those resolutions? It’s an issue that Panasonic hope to tackle with this inventive ad, created by Brave, that evokes the cinema experience with 4 visually distinct scenes from made-up films.
3. Carlsberg – The Danish Way
Carlsberg returns to its roots in this latest spot, which stars Mads Mikkelsen cycling (of course) through a number of particularly Danish scenes. The ad is undeniably pretty, featuring the same kind of Scandi-design that has swept across the UK in recent years, and features some clever effects as Mikkelsen transitions between different environments. It’s an interesting ad for the brand, whose recent advertising efforts have focused more on creating short comedic spots.
2. Lucozade – Anthony Joshua – Made To Move
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bQuW5cQs4U
Though it’s not unusual to see sports brands tell the life story of an athlete as part of a campaign, this ad from Lucozade is a refreshing take on the genre. It follows world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua from childhood, through his well-documented run-ins with the law, right up until his rise to fame. The ad’s moody production and surprisingly honest appraisal of Joshua’s story make for a memorable spot that we hope marks an engaging change of pace for Lucozade.
1. McDonald’s – That Place
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aGA_xwo-nw
Last week we saw Burger King ‘hack’ its way into audio devices with an ad that triggered a Wikipedia response. This week their fast-food rivals are also using Google, albeit in a much less intrusive way. These clever, and noticeably unbranded, spots starring Mindy Kaling encourage viewers to search for ‘the place that Coke tastes great’ – which, of course, takes them to a McDonald’s landing page. The ads is an interesting and forward-thinking piece of creative that presents McDonald’s as a brand that actively understands the way modern audiences use and browse the internet.
