Embed Video
Have you ever tasted a burger that’s so good it leaves you speechless? Anyone who’s had an irresistibly mouth-watering, hot and juicy burger knows that feeling: mmmmm! Ugh! Gah! They’re not real words, but we all speak this primal “burger language.”
Understanding that a deliciously irresistible burger can leave you at a loss for words, McDonald’s is introducing people to their new 100% fresh beef Quarter Pounder burgers by launching the “Speechless” campaign. Inspired by the idea that words can’t describe the pure delight, the feeling, and the taste of a hot and juicy burger, the “Speechless” creative leverages celebrities and technology to speak for customers eating McDonald’s new hotter & juicier, 100% fresh beef Quarter Pounder. The burger tastes so good the customer is literally speechless.
Led by We Are Unlimited, in close partnership with The Marketing Store, Burrell, Alma, IW, Resolution and OMD, “Speechless” is an integrated campaign running broadcast, online video, radio, out of home, social media and in digital. Launching nationally on May 7th, work will run through the end of 2018.
A few elements of the campaign worth noting are:
TV/Video
Charles Barkley, Gabrielle Union and John Goodman help describe customers’ reactions to the taste of McDonald’s hotter and juicier burger. Additionally, Luis Fonsi describes in Spanish just how good McDonald’s Quarter Pounder tastes in spots created for the Hispanic Market. The creative and production of these spots was led by Alma.
YouTube Masthead with Closed Captioning
The “Speechless” masthead will feature Charles Barkley, Gabrielle Union and John Goodman, and uses YouTube’s closed captioning function in a way that no brand has done before. Normally closed captioning displays what someone is saying, but since eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounder has left the celebrities speechless, the closed captioning does the talking for them – revealing the overly expressive, entertaining explanation of the sensation.
Snackable Social Content
“Speechless” content featuring Charles, Gabrielle and John will be delivered on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.
To excite audiences’ senses, short videos using a split screen approach and an ASMR-like technique with John Goodman showcase how McDonald’s burger is made from start to finish. These sensorial videos highlight how much hotter and juicier McDonald’s made their new 100% fresh beef Quarter Pounder. Facebook and Twitter users will be served John Goodman’s ASMR(ish) video, while people on Instagram and Snapchat will experience the ASMR-ish video through a series of sequenced videos within the “story” unit.
On the day of the launch, a playful unboxing video featuring Charles Barkley will be served to All US Twitter users when they open their feed. In the video, Charles has fun opening the new Fresh Beef Quarter Pounder, and after taking a big delicious bite the chatterbox is left speechless.
On Instagram, Charles, Gabrielle, and John share the deliciousness of McDonald’s juicier and hotter burger by handing off a Quarter Pounder to one another using a carousel format. It all ends with a delicious speechless moment.
Other credits
CLIENT: McDonald’s U.S.
• Morgan Flatley, U.S. Chief Marketing Officer
• Kenny Mitchell, VP of Marketing, Brand Content and Engagement
• Lizette Williams, Head of Cultural Engagement, Marketing
• Julie Wenger, Sr. Director, Brand & Marketing Content
• Anna Sawicki, Manager, Brand & Marketing Content
• Kelley Crismore, Supervisor, Brand & Marketing Content
• Emily Charron, Manager, Digital Campaigns & Content
• Falzan Tahir, Supervisor, Digital Campaigns & Content
• Janie Posades Reyes, Production Operations Manager
CREATIVE AGENCY: We Are Unlimited
• Ari Weiss, Chief Creative Officer, DDB North America
• Toygar Bazarkaya, Chief Creative Officer, We Are Unlimited
• Max Geraldo, Executive Creative Director
• Josh Mizrachi, Creative Director
• Matt Dalin, Creative Director
• Jimmy Dietzen, Creative Director
• Jonathan Pliego, Associate Creative Director
• Jeff Barry, Associate Creative Director
• Philipe Diao, Associate Creative Director
• Brandon Zach, Copywriter
• Jon Ellis, Chief Production Officer
• Tom Cronin, Executive Producer
• Denis Budniewski, Chief Client Officer
• Chris Bergen, Group Business Director
• Mary Ashley Chenoweth, Account Director
• Carly Richter, Account Supervisor
• Kylee Shelhamer, Associate Account Executive
• James Lou, Chief Strategy Officer
• Noemi Garcia, Narrative Strategist
• Justin Hood, Director Platforms and Partnerships
• Tara Reardon, Integrated Producer
• Caitlin VanderKlok, Art Director
• Liza Rush, Copywriter
PRODUCTION COMPANY: MJZ
• Nick Ball, Director
• David Zander, Executive Producer
• Emma Wilcockson, Executive Producer
• Karen Chen, Producer
• Brian Taravella, Production Supervisor
EDITORIAL: Arcade LA/The Mill Chicago
• Will Hasell, Editor, Arcade LA
• Fernando Raigoza, Assistant Editor, Arcade LA
• Adam Parker, Producer, Arcade LA
• Luke Morrison, Color, The Mill London
• James Babiarz, Producer, The Mill Chicago
AUDIO POST: Another Country
• John Binder, Sound Design/Engineer
• Louise Rider, Producer
• Tim Konn, Producer
HCM Agency: Alma
• Luis Miguel Messianu, Creative Chairman/CEO
• Alvar Suñol, Co-President/ Chief Creative Officer
• Michelle Headley, SVP, Production
• Jorge Murillo, VP, Executive Creative Director
• Mauricio Mutis, Associate Creative Director/Art
• Gabriel Ferrer, Associate Creative Director/Copy
• Gabriel Reyes, Associate Creative Director/Art
• Benjamin Levitt, Senior Copywriter
• Michi Bandin, Senior Producer
• Beatriz Del Amo, VP, Group Business Director
• Karen Udler, Account Director
• Cristina Lage, Management Supervisor
• Maria Hodgson, Account Supervisor
• Adriana Piñeda, Account Executive
• Jennifer Pollack, Senior Director of Strategic Insights
• Felipe Diaz-Arango, Senior Planner
HCM Production: ALMA In-House Studio
• Yeyo Marquez, Executive Producer
• Fro Rojas, Creative Editor
• Erik Justiniano, Online Editor
• Monica Peña, Studio Manager
• Jose Toledo, Audio Engineer
AACM Agency: Burrell
• Lewis Williams, EVP/Chief Creative Officer
• Rebecca Williams, VP/Group Creative Director
• JeWayne Thomas, VP/Account Director
• Djuana Stoakley, Associate Director/Account Planning
• Chris Powell, Art Director
• Adam Yencho, Copywriter
• Crystal Dunn, Junior Copywriter
• Shirley Portee, Executive Producer
• Catherine Antoniello, Senior Broadcast Producer
• Carlo Treviso, Senior Digital Producer
• Antonio Gray, Junior Account Planner
• Nashonna Griffin, Associate Account Director
• Susan Neeley, Senior Account Executive
ACM Agency: IW Group
• Sisi Zhang, Creative Lead
• Heather Hannasch, Creative Director
• Flora Zhao, Group Client Director
• Mac Dallarte, Project Manager
Social Media: Resolution
• Eric Dornbrook, Director
• Samantha Bartucci, Associate Director
• Samantha Culbertson, Strategist
• Maura McNulty, Associate Director
• Samantha Welch, Strategist
Media: OMD
• Mike Solomon, Managing Director
• Lisa Hanauer, Group Account Director
• Erin Kienast, Digital Group Account Director
• Lindsey Susick, Associate Director
• Brittney Lutz, Strategist
Restaurant Experience: The Marketing Store
• Jim Eby, Senior Vice President, Creative Director
• Marjorie Novotney, Associate Creative Director
• Megan VanDagens, Art Director
• Sarah Davis, Copywriter
