McDonald’s unveils unbranded ads to drive Google searches for ‘that place where Coke tastes so good’
As one of the world’s most identifiable brands, McDonald’s is seemingly breaking from convention with a bold, unbranded marketing campaign.
Mindy Kaling and the beverage technician
It has taken a degree of confidence to move away from its famous arches and sonic branding to release the unbranded ads, this time relying upon the curiosity of the viewer and the star power of actress Mindy Kaling.
The latest ad urged viewers to search for ‘that place where Coke tastes so good’. Such a search drives mentions of McDonald’s and a hub promoting the videos. It's previously dabbled in unbranded ads (in France particularly) but this is the first time it will go all in in its domestic market.
The New York Times reports that the ads started running on TV last week. Deborah Wahl, chief marketing officer of McDonald’s US said that the work reflected how young people are “discovering information… They are very influenced by word of mouth and what their peers say.”
She claims that the outlet did not pay Google for any of the results. Granting further exposure to the creative, Kaling has been active in sharing the ads on her social media channels.
When [REDACTED] partners up with you to sport a yellow dress and drink Coke, you do it. Thanks [REDACTED]! https://t.co/lIN7UpYTDt
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) April 18, 2017
According to the McDonald’s website, here’s why it thinks its Coke tastes best: “The water and Coca-Cola syrup are pre-chilled before entering our fountain dispensers with the ratio of syrup set to allow for ice to melt. We also keep our fountain beverage system cold so your drink can always be at the peak of refreshing. In order to ensure our drinks are always meeting a gold standard, we have proper filtration methods in place.”
The work comes from creative agency We Are Unlimited.
It comes after fast food rival Burger King ran a search integrated campaign last week with the Google Home, designed to trigger peoples’ smart devices.