Brilliant Nasi Lemak's copy of McD's ad gets industry creatives talking

The latest ad put up by Brilliant Nasi Lemak House to promote its fried chicken on Facebook has left the whole McDonald's Malaysia and its creative team feeling flattered."Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" is what its marketing director Eugene Lee said on the ad which essentially bears great resemblance to McD's Ayam Goreng spot.A+M has asked several creative industry players on what they think about this Brilliant Nasi Lemak House ad. Naga DDB's executive creative director (ECD), Alvin Teoh, said McDonald's would probably gain from this, since ad copying is still the "greatest" form of flattery.Meanwhile, Chan Woei Hern, ECD at Ensemble Worldwide, said, "Brilliant Nasi Lemak House should have gone all the way, and actually given a nod to McDonald's. Now, that would have definitely added to traction."When to parodyAccording to Teoh, the only time to copy so directly is when you do a parody. Teoh explained this is because a parody requires some degree of wit, and "you recognise it for what it is and join in the laughter". In his view, however, the Brilliant Nasi Lemak House ad is a "complete rip off" from McD's Ayam Goreng ad without much thought process behind the ad creation.For Casey Loh, creative chief of The Clan, the Brilliant Nasi Lemak House spot is one which is hilarious. He explained that the creators behind the ad knew that it was copycat and "parodies the original proudly" with the inclusion of a dog in the spot."When you look at the ending in McD's spot which says 'there's nothing like it', this makes it even funnier as 'here comes an ad that's exactly like it'," Loh said.Meanwhile, Barry Victor, associate creative director (ACD) at Leo Burnett Malaysia, who created and conceptualised McD's Ayam Goreng ad, called it "a good effort [based] on the budget they had, plus I loved the dog and the security guards’ performances.""We will use this as fuel to continue to create much more 'copy-worthy' ads in the future," Victor added.Read also: McD’s Malaysia ‘flattered’ by Brilliant Nasi Lemak House’s strikingly similar ad Yet another fairness ad causes stir in Malaysia Watsons Malaysia’s blackface Raya ad labelled racist by netizens McDonald’s Malaysia: “No idea is a bad idea” McDonald’s MY hires Muhamad Zaid Hasman as new digital director McDonald’s Malaysia introduces D24 Durian McFlurry ahead of #Merdeka