Ad watch MMHK Dec

Jimmy Mak digital media strategist

Bates 141

HOT McDonald's Viral Fast Food Shops opened in Japan - 4 Stars

McDonald has camouflaged its image in the latest campaign for the Quarter Pounder product recently launched in Tokyo. Two Quarter Pounder Shops were set up in the fashionable Shibuya and Omotesando districts; during the opening ceremony 500 people lined up for a taste of the new product. The interior of the shop is decorated in simple black & red colors, even the packaging & menu are designed with the same color scheme. Interestingly enough, the fast-food stores sell only Quarter Pounder meals and nothing else. Without any McDonald logo or brand in the shops, the "unbranded" product obviously created a "blind test" experience for the customers: they get to savor great tasting burger without the prejudice or preconception about the brand behind it. This innovative idea successfully breaks the wall of customer's emotion which manages to create curiosity among customers and starts the viral conversations. The viral stores are not telling any stories about brand, but instead they are creating a place and product and let customers start their own conversations and spread viral news about the product.

NOT Wrigley Extra Xylitol - 2 Stars

The chewing gum giant Wrigley has launched a campaign to promote a new product - Extra Xylitol candy with two new flavors -dragon fruit and cranberry lime. In the TVC, the camel couples representing the new flavors respectively, are shown sun-tanning on a beach and they are showcasing features of the Extra Xylitol candy. The story of TVC and presentation of the camels are fun and impressive. Unfortunately, the three product features: sweet, chewy & healthy teeth; have been diluted by the long duration of the TVC. If the exposure of the advertisement is not frequent enough to the target audience, it would be even harder for customers to understand what the product features are.