Created by We Are Unlimited, this national “Speechless” campaign introduces McDonald’s new fresh beef, cooked-to-order Quarter Pounders.
Inspired by the idea that words can’t describe the pure delight, the feeling, and the taste of a hot and juicy burger, the “Speechless” creative leverages celebrities and technology to speak for customers eating McDonald’s new hotter & juicier, 100% fresh beef Quarter Pounder. The burger tastes so good the customer is literally speechless.
In this spot, Charles Barkley speaks for Susan, who’s stricken speechless by her fresh McDonald’s burger.
Nick Ball of MJZ directed this :30 titled “Barkley-Susan” (and several others in the campaign featuring Gabrielle Union and John Goodman as the voices for speechless burger eaters).
Credits
Client McDonald’s U.S. Morgan Flatley, U.S. chief marketing officer Agency We Are Unlimited Ari Weiss, chief creative officer, DDB North America; Toygar Bazarkaya, chief creative officer, We Are Unlimited; Max Geraldo, executive creative director; Josh Mizrachi, Matt Dalin, Jimmy Dietzen, creative directors; Jonathan Pliego, Jeff Barry, Philipe Diao, associate creative directors; Brandon Zach, copywriter; Jon Ellis, chief production officer; Tom Cronin, executive producer; Tara Reardon, integrated producer; Caitlin VanderKlok, art director; Liza Rush, copywriter. Production MJZ Nick Ball, director; David Zander, Emma Wilcockson, exec producers; Karen Chen, producer; Brian Taravella, production supervisor. Editorial Arcade LA Will Hasell, editor; Fernando Raigoza, assistant editor; Adam Parker, producer. Color The Mill Luke Morrison (The Mill London); James Babiarz, producer (The Mill Chicago). Sound Another Country John Binder, sound designer/engineer; Louise Rider, Tim Kohn, producers.
Directed by Steve Rogers via Biscuit Filmworks for agency VCCP London, this spot titled “Memory” opens with a daughter visiting her father at his home, a bar of Cadbury Wholenut chocolate in hand. Her father, living with dementia, smiles at the sight of the chocolate, recognizing it as a gift his daughter has bought him since she was a child. In this moment, he doesn’t recognize her as his daughter. Instead, he begins to tell her how this ritual gifting always makes his wife laugh because, as he proudly reveals, he’s always hated nuts.
The daughter can’t help but laugh, touched by the idea that her father has kept this secret for so long. As he looks at her earnestly, he asks her not to tell his “daughter”--meaning her--about the secret, because “it makes her so happy.” The daughter responds softly. “It does.” She recognizes the quiet generosity of her father’s long-held secret, something he’s kept hidden from her all these years, despite not always remembering who she is.
Cadbury is committed to telling inclusive stories rooted in human truths that are representative of the U.K. To ensure the story’s accurate portrayal of people living with dementia, Cadbury consulted with specialists throughout the development of the film.
Cadbury has extended its partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, into 2025. The two organizations first joined together in 2024 to celebrate the role of Cadbury in the nation’s shared memories and to support the charity’s mission for a cure for dementia.
“Memory” was brought to life with the help of VCCP’s global content production studio Girl&Bear. The film will run across the U.K. throughout 2025, appearing on TV, VOD,... Read More
