This advertisement was released by McDonald’s
Philippines on April 2008. It featured a catchy tagline: “Pa-Cheeseburger Ka
Naman” or “This Calls For A Cheeseburger”, aimed to promote one of their
products: the cheeseburger. The objective of the advertisement is to celebrate
even the most simple of events with a McDonald’s cheeseburger. From a change of
hairdo, speaking in English or by just having a tucked shirt calls for a
celebration and “Burger! Burger!” chants. The advertisement was a big hit, most
especially to the youth, who would often coax their friends and family to buy
McDonald’s cheeseburgers.
The advertisement was effective in garnering attention
and interest from the general public. The use of appealing colors like red and
yellow, accompanied by pictures and a catchy slogan, made it stand out. By
using the “bandwagon” technique, McDonald’s was able to start a trend with one
of their products, resulting with the increase of their sales and has since
became one of McDonald’s most successful advertisements.
“BEST TIME FOR WENDY'S” (Wendy’s
Ad - 1994)
The ‘90s was an exciting time for many people. A lot
of fresh ideas and inventions were introduced. This commercial showcased those
things such as the personal computer, which brought one of the major changes on
our culture during that time. It was aimed to make people excited in trying new
things, hence the lyrics of the song, “The best time for a change”.
The catchy lyrics and tune, coupled with a great
vocal performance by Ms. Regine Velasquez, made this advertisement so popular
that the song stuck in people’s mind. Majority of the advertisements launched
then made use of celebrity endorsers for high recall and it has been proven to
be an effective marketing strategy used by companies to endorse their products
up to the present time.
I think this advertisement of Wendy’s is one of the
best commercials that have been launched not only because of its star
attraction and upbeat song jingle but the overall concept was thought out well
and executed in classy style. The video shots were paced out right so it
doesn’t come out dragging and boring but makes one dance to the tune. The shots
of the Wendy’s products persuade the viewers to crave for it, offering a new
choice or change to the public. For me, this advertisement served as the
pioneer for others in the future. As a whole, the Wendy’s commercial left its
mark on the minds of the consumers making it one of the Philippines’ classic
ads of all time.
Credits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtfOgOd4CIE
"HOORAY FOR TODAY!" (McDonalds Ad -2014)
The
commercial ad started with the breaking of dawn, a man slowly waking up to a
brand new day (as the song goes). Different shots of his surroundings were
shown including his cameras and photographs on the wall which imply that he is
a photography enthusiast or maybe a photographer by profession. He is later
shown sitting at a McDonalds store eating his breakfast meal with hot coffee
and when he looked up, saw a pretty woman sitting on a table across him. He
smiled and raised his cup of coffee to her, his way of saying “hello”.
The
theme of this advertisement is emphasized with the lyrics of the background
song, “thank you for the gift of today”, meaning that we should be glad to
welcome the coming of a new day. It could also mean that we should look forward
to a new morning filled with surprises. The message of the ad was executed in
different styles. The first was the slice of life, with the man and woman
enjoying their breakfast in normal setting as if they have been doing it
regularly and expressing satisfaction with the McDonalds breakfast menu.
Second, the McDonalds’ advertisement is seen as something that fits in with anyone’s
lifestyle and individual taste. Third, the photography set the mood and evokes
a sense of awareness and belonging.
I
love how they used symbolism for their shots. For me, it gives off a more
emotional and sophisticated vibe. It grabs your attention and makes it feel
relatable. Overall, this is one of my favorite advertisements from McDonalds as
it is able to combine simplicity with finesse.
Credits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrXDXQuj214
“KUYA” (McDonalds Ad - 2013)
As with the other McDonalds advertisements, this
commercial ad was consistent with the series of themes that McDonalds
Philippines wants to put across: family relationships and traditions,
friendships and moral values. In the ad entitled “KUYA”, the main actors
depicted brotherly care and affection for each other by showing the simple joy
of having breakfast together. The younger brother is always considerate of
Kuya’s wants and needs. The love and bonding of the members of a typical
Filipino family is worth emulating and that is the message that this
advertisement emphasized. That despite our busy schedules, we should take time
to spend quality time with the people we love especially those who need most of
our care and attention.
The McDonalds advertisement is about good family
values and it succeeded in putting across that message without getting too
emotional about it. Again, the ad was done simply with no other frills except
the exchange of dialogues between the two brothers but surely, watching it will
put a smile on our faces. Like always, I
love how McDonalds make relatable advertisements. This particular ad focuses on
the emotional message rather than using flashy visuals. Even now, this
commercial remains as one of the best advertisements of McDonalds as they were
able to fully utilize the elements of “Multimedia”.
Credits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M6nSUVqo4c
ADVERTISING: NOW & THEN
"KAREN PO" (McDonald's Ad - 2003)
This is one of my most favorite advertisements of all time. It tells the story about a young woman named Karen, meeting her grandfather at McDonald's. It begins with Karen carrying their meal towards her grandfather, who is sitting at the table talking to himself while holding a yellow handkerchief. Afterwards, the grandfather asks "Where have you been Gina?". Karen corrects her grandfather politely that her name is "Karen" and not "Gina". He then says, "It's been a long time since we have seen each other, Gina". The grandfather then tells his granddaughter to start eating while calling her "Gina". Once again, Karen corrects her grandfather, "Karen po". Then, her grandfather started cutting his burger in half, he then tells her that it was for his favorite granddaughter "Karen".
The "Karen Po" commercial is one of a series of advertisements that McDonalds launch in 2003. It drew varied reactions from televiewers, some are negative but majority have said that the adverisement was emotionally appealing and that it really touched their hearts. The storyline was simple but effective in carrying across the message. Most of the advertisements that came out during this period put emphasis on families and traditions. The video was taken in a straightforward manner, no camera effects used, only close-up shots of the faces of Karen and her Lolo and their McDonald meals. What made it appealing and memorable was the exchange of dialogues between grandfather and granddaughter and Karen's reaction at the end, the surprise look and the small smile that appeared on her face after hearing that she is Lolo's favorite "apo".
"SELFIE" (McDonalds Ad - 2014)
This is one of McDonald's recent commercials. It tells the story of three elderly people who live with a modern lifestyle. This can be seen on the first scene. The first elderly man brags to his friend who is also elderly, that he had just ran 2 kilometers, a feat that is usually difficult for people of old age. His friend then reminds him if he had monitored his heartbeat. Afterwards, another elderly man appears while the second elderly man asks "How about you? Do you have rheumatism?", and then they laugh. Subsequently, the third elderly man takes out his selfie stick and takes a picture. To which the elderly lady finds charming. The next scene features McDonald's various products for their promo "Everyday McSavers". The last scene features the two elderly persons feeling jealous towards the third elderly person saying that it was "Gayuma" or "Love Potion", rather than "Rayuma" or "Rheumatism".
I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this commercial. It was funny but endearing especially when the third elderly man took a selfie shot with his old pals. He was really "cool" and impressive just the way the advertisement played it up. In this McDonald's ad, the storyline was about "friendship" and how it transcends the test of time.That despite their old age and ailments they still manage to get together and reminisce about the past and update themselves with each other's daily activities. As with the other McDonald ads, the simplicity of the plot was the main focus but this time, interjected with humor that lightens up the mood of the commercial.
