Sweden Unleashes Even More Weird McDonald's Commercials

mcdonalds_beard.jpg

Back in January, after viewing a crop of really weird McDonald's commercial from DDB Stockholm, I wrote, "OMFG! WTF? We don't know what drugs they use over in Sweden but, damn, we want some now! Or at least we want to know what goes on inside the minds of DDB Stockholm Copywriter Magnus Jacobsson and Art Director Frederik Simonsson who created these three off-the-charts whacked ads for McDonald's."

After viewing a new crop (1, 2, 3), I could almost write the same thing though these three new spots seem just a tad safer. Either that or I've become immune to the oddity of it all. This time there's a beard coming out of a beard coming out of a beard coming out of a...oh, you get the point. There's a human version of the space shuttle launch and, perhaps most odd, a freakish, nursery rhyme-style take on swinging on a swingset.

I'm Lovin' It. Seriously.

by Steve Hall    May-20-08   Click to Comment   
Topic: Best, Brands, Commercials, Strange   

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Comments



Comments

You're dreaming. Wake up. Coffee.
That,s it right?

Cool...

Posted by: Martin Ouellette on May 20, 2008 9:54 PM

Why is it that all the fun work is in Europe? Not fair...........

Posted by: paul on May 21, 2008 9:35 AM

That first one looks like a complete rip off of an old viral web favorite ... http://cyriak.co.uk/gifs039.html

Hope Cyriak has made a fortune off this :)

Posted by: Dave on June 5, 2008 12:56 PM


Dave:

Yeah, and Cyriak really owns copying Terry Gilliam. Hope he made a fortune out of his stuff too, in that case.

Jaaawn...what´s the world coming to? If you can´t make a dude appear out of a beard without some loser "owning" it.

Get real.


Posted by: Peter Frame on June 9, 2008 5:21 AM

Dave:

Yeah, and Cyriak really owns copying Terry Gilliam. Hope he made a fortune out of his stuff too, in that case.

...what�s the world coming to? If you can�t make a dude appear out of a beard without some loser "owning" it.

Get real.


Posted by: Peter Frame on June 9, 2008 5:22 AM

Peter:

The difference being that Cyriak uses an animation technique that is remeniscent of Gilliam, no doubt about that. However this ad uses an idea, style and technique that is pretty much identical to the original (look at the way the gap in the beard is rendered for example).

Several agencies have got into hot water in the past for doing this sort of thing and it has caused the client of the agency quite a lot of embarasment. Here are a couple of examples from Sony http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/adwatch/sony-bastards-ripped-off-the-bunny-tsunami-ad-307398.php and
Coca Cola http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6289933.stm

A few years ago I too would have had the attitude 'so what' but times have changed, the major coporations have put huge pressure on governments to tighten IP law and now you can't move without being sued. I'm sure if I put up a spoof McD's ad on YouTube I would get a takedown immediately, things should work both ways.

Do you really think it is fair to make a lot of money by copying so completely from someone who tries to make a living doing animations, they should have hired Cyriak!

[BTW looking at the comments on this ad on youtube it seems a lot of people agree with me]

Posted by: Dave on June 9, 2008 9:26 AM

Seriously, get real. Why copy when this was a campaign where you can do whateverthefuck you want. I don´t really see the likeness of the bunny-art-incident, since it was a large installation fully copied. Now, we are talking about a man, in this case a Swedish fisherman with swedish background, not at all Cyriaks image or idea. The only likness is a man coming out of his own beard. Really, comparing this to BIG rip offs? haha...This must be the most absurd thing ever. Let´s get real.The campaign for McDonalds uses 6 different techniques in equally absurd films. Dave, or Cyriak I guess, trust me, if there was ever a case of NOT stealing, this is it. Shit. I have to go shit myself now.

Posted by: Peter Frame on June 10, 2008 2:22 PM

Seriously, get real. Why copy when this was a campaign where you can do whateverthefuck you want. I don´t really see the likeness of the bunny-art-incident, since it was a large installation fully copied. Now, we are talking about a man, in this case a Swedish fisherman with swedish background, not at all Cyriaks image or idea. The only likness is a man coming out of his own beard. Really, comparing this to BIG rip offs? haha...This must be the most absurd thing ever. Let´s get real.The campaign for McDonalds uses 6 different techniques in equally absurd films. Dave, or Cyriak I guess, trust me, if there was ever a case of NOT stealing, this is it. Shit. I have to go shit myself now.

Posted by: Peter Frame on June 10, 2008 2:23 PM

For some reason people seem to forget that art is one thing, advertising is quite another. For xxx sake. Letterman dropped a bunch of balls in San Fran a gazillion years ago. . .

Posted by: Bored Boredom. on June 10, 2008 2:30 PM

Peter, or Fredrik I guess, I think you said it.

"Why copy when this was a campaign where you can do whateverthefuck you want"

Indeed, I don't need to add anything more to that!

Time to unsubscribe I think!

Posted by: Dave on June 10, 2008 3:10 PM