Burnetts portrays Y2K reality for McDonald’s

McDonald’s takes a realistic look at the millennium hype with a new

commercial by Leo Burnett which breaks this weekend.

Entitled ’same old’, the ad shows a young man waking to the dawn of the

new century, only to discover that nothing has really changed. The

trials and tribulations of everyday life remain as before.

The hero wakes up to grey skies and has the same old problems opening

the tin of catfood to feed his pet. After cleaning his teeth, the tap is

still dripping and, as he pulls on his freshly laundered trousers, he

pulls out a wrinkled batch of fivers from the pocket.

As he leaves his house, his mum is leaving a message on the answerphone

and when he walks along the road, the same old dog leaps out at him from

a neighbour’s garden.

A visit to McDonald’s culminates in the reassuring acknowledgment that a

Big Mac still comes with two slices of pickle. Incidentally, the ad’s

star doesn’t like pickles and wryly takes the two slices out of the

burger, placing them almost affectionately in the carton.

The TV campaign also highlights McDonald’s involvement as an official

sponsor of the Millennium Dome, the focus of the nation’s millennium

celebrations and the site of the 1,000th UK McDonald’s.

McDonald’s sponsorship focuses on McDonald’s Our Town Story, in which

schools from communities around the country will be invited to perform

the story of their town on a specially constructed stage within the

Dome.

The ad was written by Jonathan Budds and art directed by Anita

Davis.

It was directed by Mike Stephenson through the Paul Weiland Film Company

and media was through Starcom. The music, by The Tone Kings, repeats the

lyrics, ’nothing’s changed, everything’s the same’.

Leo Burnett’s aim was to go against the grain of millennium hype by

sending a message of positive reassurance at a time of change and

uncertainty in people’s lives.

This article was first published on Campaign