McDonald’s marks the arrival of its Loaded Fries with #FryFlix campaign via VML Australia
McDonald’s Australia, has this week launched Bring Fries to Life, a campaign created by VML Australia, which utilises a variety of film mediums to announce the arrival of another world first from Macca’s – Loaded Fries.
The Loaded Fries product lets Aussies top their Fries with either guacomole and salsa or bacon and cheese sauce, bringing Macca’s iconic French Fries to life with new personalities. Over the month of December, these personalities will be celebrated nationwide through #FryFlix, which includes a fresh style of TVC for McDonald’s, a crowd-directed short film, and a digital content hub.
Says Bronwyn Powell, senior marketing director, McDonald’s Australia: “Loaded Fries are like nothing Macca’s has ever served before. They’re a big change for us and bring two new personalities to our French Fries – I wanted our campaign to reflect this and be something people would really take notice of.
“I challenged my team and our agency partners to push the boundaries and give us a campaign that transcends both traditional and new channels. They’ve certainly delivered with the range of FryFlix films, and I’m excited to see how Aussies respond to it.”
To extend #FryFlix into the social world, VML Australia will be creating Summer’s tastiest blockbuster, LOADED. The activity will see the brand’s millions of Facebook fans put into the director’s chair to help define how Detective Fry solves a Fry Town crime over a five episode series. The final short film will premiere on Facebook on 26 December.
The best LOADED scene suggestions will be brought to life in the movie and everyone who participates will be added to the film’s credit roll, with the fans behind the final scenes celebrated as directors of the next episode.
Says Aden Hepburn, managing director and executive creative director, VML Australia: “We’ve had a lot of fun working with McDonald’s on ‘Loaded’ and are thrilled to have been able to produce a social component which truly engages McDonald’s fans. I’m looking forward to seeing where Australians send Detective Fry on his investigation.”
McDonald’s Australia:
Chief Marketing Officer: Mark Lollback
Senior Marketing Director: Bronwyn Powell
Marketing Manager: Pennie Cruikshank
Digital Marketing Manager: Sheerien Salindera
Brand Manager: Andrew Southey
Social Media Manager: Zoe Condon
TV Production Company: Stuff & Nonsense
Director: Steven Saussey
Post-production: The Editors
Sound: Nylon Studios
VML:
Creative: Aden Hepburn, Chris Scott, Matt Greerson, Tahlia Calvisi, Jamie Muscat and Paul Fiore
Planning and Social: David Di Veroli, Matt Brown, Christian Love and Berlian Ayudya
Account Service: Betsy Ligibel and Mark Tovbis
Production: Natalie Frischknecht, Rick Govic and Matt Barber
OMD:
Business Director: Jonathan Betts
Account Director: Margie Foo Clarke
Interactive Director: Thomas Lyngsfeldt
Digital Business Manager: Ashleigh Sladden
15 Comments
Just what the fattest nation on the planet needs
I just want to fry.
Is this what the brand has become? Incredibly unfunny and, remarkably for a food brand, unappetising. At least they enjoyed making them.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear
the fries look awful – no appetite appeal at all
Re the product.. Loaded is about right. I bet the dietary advice types have a field day with that. Re the ads / social…. That would have been a tough gig.
This is what an ad looks like when you try and do it on a shoestring.
For fast food, their products normally look tasty especially compared to reality or other fast food products. Ball dropped here. Looks terrible
Well I’m loving it, and I would love to try the product. Maybe I just like being satisfried in general
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXU9Ur9QznE
…but leave out the funny parts.
I find it hard to imagine the creative team not having used those iconic Natural Confectionary spots as a reference for this idea, such is the similarity in style and aesthetic.
If any of my creatives brought me an existing ad as a style reference for their own ‘original’ ideas, I’d fire them into the dark ages. It’s the epitome of lazy creative. We should not be referencing ads with ads. It doesn’t challenge anyone or do anything to move the industry forward. It’s just inbreeding ideas, and it leads to campaigns like this; weird, deformed things that don’t actually have any of the spirit of the thing they’re referencing because nobody involved really understands the nuance of what they’re trying to replicate. Sigh.
Clearly you’ve never worked on Maccas.
Nary an idea will be bought unless you can provide reference for something that’s happened before. If it’s from a film, brilliant. If it’s from an ad, that’s ok too.
It’s awful first idea thinking that doesn’t even deserve a place in the 80s let alone 2015. Do the industry a favour and stick to banners.
It looks like they’ve also seen Hungry Jacks’ recent Chicken Fries ads as “reference”. Coincidence? I think not.