This film for McDonald’s out of Leo Burnett UK introduces us to a group of office workers who conspire together to head to McDonald’s. The piece begins in a typical office, a heavy folder of papers is slammed onto a desk. With a sigh, two colleagues catch each other’s eye. One of them raises their eyebrows to the other in a knowing way, she understands exactly what that means. They nod in agreement and head off. With smiles on their faces, they walk purposefully through the office: raising their “arches” to their colleagues in a universally understood gesture. It doesn’t take long for the whole office to join in for a lunchtime escape–window cleaners and postman included.
The film was directed by Edgar Wright via Moxie Pictures. Wright’s feature filmography includes Baby Driver, Last Night in Soho and Shaun of the Dead.
The “Fancy a McDonald’s” invitation will be turbo-charged through social media, as McDonald’s call on employees, brand fans and influencers to get involved in the eyebrow-raising action in an activation led by The Red Consultancy. Snapchat and Instagram lenses will also support the campaign: the lens will raise the user’s arches, allowing McDonald’s fans to share and invite their friends to get a McDonald’s.
The campaign then heads in-store, transforming the iconic McDonald’s Golden Arches sky signs at two restaurants into the raised arches version of the logo. The ‘M’ will be cropped and animated, moving in a way that replicates the eyebrow-raise shown in the film.
The activity will be underpinned by a generous digital sales promotion, designed by TMS to drive app downloads and deliver a fortnight of offers and rewards to customers from Blue Monday onwards. Over the next 12 months the campaign will be amplified internationally, with almost 40 markets across the world joining the movement.
Michelle Graham-Clare, SVP, chief marketing officer at McDonald’s U.K. and Ireland, said: “In a challenging time, our Raise Your Arches invitation to McDonald’s provides the nation with a small but much-needed moment to let go and feel good. We hope the campaign raises arches and smiles across the country and I can’t wait to see everyone get involved.”
Chaka Sobhani, chief creative officer at Leo Burnett U.K. and global, said: ”An invitation to McDonald’s is an opportunity to put our responsibilities aside and enjoy a little lift. And we hope Raise Your Arches does exactly that, allowing everyone to momentarily let go of life’s pressures and enjoying a Maccers. We were beyond excited to work with the brilliant Edgar Wright to bring this idea to life–from the visual look and feel he creates to what he does with music and choreography, he’s got that knack of making work that grabs your attention for all the right reasons. We’re always looking at ways to raise a smile and create big populist entertainment for Maccers and in the hands of Edgar, we hope we’ve created something that does both.”
Wright shared, “As soon as I read the script I was like, “Oh, I love this song, I love this premise. This will be a lot of fun.”
CreditsClient McDonald’s Michelle Graham-Clare, SVP, chief marketing officer, U.K. and Ireland; Steve Howells, director of marketing & media. Agency Leo Burnett U.K. Chaka Sobhani, chief creative officer; Mark Elwood, executive creative director; James Millers, Andrew Long, creative directors; Gareth Butters, sr. creative, copywriter; Joe Miller, art director; David Allen, creative director of design; Jakk Breedon, designer; Graeme Light, head of McDonald’s TV production. Media Agency OMD Production Moxie Pictures Edgar Wright, director. Editorial Final Cut David Webb, editor; Doochy Moult, producer. Postproduction Framestore Darren Nicholson, Flame, Alexis Paterson, producer; Stef Perry, colorist. Audio Post 750mph Sam Ashwell, mixer. Photography & Motion Production Prodigious Jo Hodge, head of art production; Tom Van Schelven, photographer.
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More