New McDonald’s ad doesn’t show its restaurants or any of its food

The spot from Leo Burnett is built around the idea that an invite to grab a Maccie D’s is so universal it can be communicated with a mere eyebrow wiggle.

Titled ‘Raise Your Arches’, it tells the story of a group of office workers who all conspire to head to McDonald’s without uttering a single word to each other.

The social-first campaign celebrates this knowing look with a series of through-the-line ads and activations, all designed to get the nation raising their arches and joining in.

The film was directed by British filmmaker Edgar Wright, who was behind box office hits including Baby Driver, Last Night in Soho and Shaun of the Dead, and produced by Moxie Pictures.

Michelle Graham-Clare, the chief marketing officer for McDonald’s UK & Ireland, said: “In a challenging time, our ’Raise Your Arches’ invitation to McDonald’s provides the nation with a small but much-needed moment to let go and feel good. We hope the campaign raises arches and smiles across the country and I can’t wait to see everyone get involved.”

On social media, it has created special Snapchat and Instagram lenses that will raise the user’s arches, with the hope that people will use it to invite their friends to get a McDonald’s.

Digital takeovers of McDonald’s Golden Arches sky signs at two restaurants will see the ‘M’ cropped and animated, replicating the eyebrow raise shown in the film.

The activity will be underpinned by a generous digital sales promotion, designed by TMS, to drive app downloads and deliver a fortnight of offers and rewards to customers from ’Blue Monday’ (January 16) onwards. Over the next 12 months, the campaign will be amplified internationally, with almost 40 markets across the world joining the movement.

Chaka Sobhani, chief creative officer at Leo Burnett UK and Global, added: ”An invitation to McDonald’s is an opportunity to put our responsibilities aside and enjoy a little lift and we hope ’Raise Your Arches’ does exactly that, allowing everyone to momentarily let go of life’s pressures and enjoying a Maccers.

”We were beyond excited to work with the brilliant Edgar Wright to bring this idea to life – from the visual look and feel he creates to what he does with music and choreography, he’s got that knack of making work that grabs your attention for all the right reasons. We’re always looking at ways to raise a smile and create big populist entertainment for Maccers and, in the hands of Edgar, we hope we’ve created something that does both.”

Here Jon Evans of ad performance analyst System1 looks at what all the fuss is about and lays out how it could represent the future of fast food marketing.