Bask Bear Coffee's bold OOH ad challenging McDonald's sees tepid reception

Coffee brand Bask Bear Coffee has put up a cheeky and bold OOH ad featuring their own burgers above a McDonald's outlet in Malaysia and calling them "better". However, netizen sentiments seem to feel differently about the ad. 

According to media intelligence firm DATAXET, the billboard ad received mixed sentiments of 41% positive and 59% negative. Meanwhile, Meltwater said the ad received 33.3% positive and 66.7% neutral.

The OOH ad features the brand's beef burger on a white background with a text that reads "Bask Bear's burgers are better". The quote is attributed to a Bask Bear customer named Ronald. Coincidentally, Ronald is the name of the McDonald's mascot. 

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Bask Bear Coffee shared a video and picture of their new OOH ad on socials with the caption, "See what Ronald, a Bask Bear’s happy customer, had to say about our new burgers. Come over to Bask Bear and #TasteTheConfidence".  

According to DATAXET, many netizens expressed dissatisfaction with Bask Bear Coffee's marketing efforts, with 22% pointing out that it was "failed marketing". The comments were particularly about the similarity in design, logo size and placement of McDonald's ads, leading to customers mistaking the ad for a McDonald's promotion. 

However, 12% of netizens praised Bask Bear Coffee's bold marketing, highlighting the ad's creativity, strategic location and humour. Some netizens jokingly connected Ronald, who was attributed as a Bask Bear Coffee customer, to McDonald's, saying his last name must be McDonald.

At the same time, 20% of netizens shared that they were highly satisfied with the brand's food quality and praised the delicious taste of its sandwiches and other menu items. Meanwhile, an equal 20% of netizens criticised the brand's service quality, food quality and pricing. 

Some netizens (13%) compared Bask Bear Coffee to well-known brands such as McDonald’s, Jollibee, Burger King, Ramly, and Woodfire. 

Interestingly, a small group of netizens (4%) summoned authorities for fines or penalties due to the controversial nature of the ad. 

The brand's word cloud showed that "iklan" (advertisement) is central to the conversation, indicating that the marketing strategy has been a key focus, said DATAXET. Keywords such as 'creative' and 'genius' suggests positive reception to the brand's advertising, while 'aggressive' highlights the boldness of the marketing approach. 

However, the presence of boycott implies negative associations, potentially linked to external issues such as the McDonald's boycott, added DATAXET.

Similarly, Meltwater found keywords such as "Ronald", "good chuckle" and "Israel" associated with Bask Bear Coffee. 

On top of netizen sentiments, the ad also garnered the attention of Malaysia burger brand myBurgerLab. 

In comments seen by A+M, myBurgerLab asked Bask Bear Coffee who taught them to make burgers. To which, Bask Bear Coffee responded, "Let us think". 

myBurgerLab suggested that it can "beat Ramly burger" - a popular burger brand in Malaysia - by easily adding ingredients such as margarine, Maggi MSG sauce and chilli sauce too. 

In response to a user who told myBurgerLab to not fight and that each brand has a unique style to their burgers, myBurgerLab responded "Agreed. Diversity is what makes the Malaysian burger scene so unique." 

Meanwhile, other users have left comments in support of Bask Bear Coffee, with some calling its decision to put an ad in front of McDonald's "iconic", saying that it is time for local brands to overtake corporations such as McDonald's. 

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