Jennifer Healan’s Post

I’d like to do a quick compare-and-contrast to today’s ‘WcDonalds’ anime/manga campaign to last week’s Toyota ‘Grip’ campaign. [My thanks to industry vet Shawne Kleckner for posting the original PRNewswire article about WcDonalds.] WcDonalds: Massive worldwide 360 approach covering McDonald’s restaurants, a manga, an anime, and a location-based pop-up. Grip: Slow releasing YouTube shorts WcDonalds: Works with an up-and-coming manga artist (Acky Bright) and a legendary anime studio (Pierrot) Grip: Long Beach based ad agency with a show runner not known in the wider entertainment industry with no real connection to anime. WcDonalds: Recognition that anime and manga are a huge part of today’s culture. Grip: A long time ago, the show runner really liked InitialD. WcDonalds: I suspect that there will be huge demand in store for the limited run product and flavors ala Rick-and-Morty special sauce moment. Grip: I predict they won’t crack 200K total views across all of their YouTube shorts. Maybe I’m being harsh or too subjective and maybe I’ll be proven totally wrong. But at first blush seems like one will be a big hit and the other is a far miss. Thoughts? #anime #cartoons #marketing #animation

𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 Injecting playfulness through a brand poking fun at itself can tap into new audiences. And understanding subcultures is a fruitful way to do just that. Since the 1980s, Japanese anime culture has heartily embraced the term "WcDonald's", allowing it to refer to the famous burger brand while mitigating legal claims. It's not the enigma code, but it's worked well enough for decades. McDonalds obviously has the financial means to throw the book at this not so fancy legal footwork. And perhaps they might have in the past. 10, 15 years ago, the idea of doggedly protecting every element of your brand was entrenched enough to make this seem like the default move. Cease and desist and move on. But in the age of distinctive assets, McDonald's saw a different opportunity. They swapped brand arrogance for an understanding that their brand equity is so strong that it transcends a need for legal hammers. Instead, they leaned into the flexibility of its name and inverted golden arches. In a new campaign, they're transporting WcDonald's from anime into the real-world through the launch of a new sauce, Manga-inspired packaging and the creation of four short anime episodes. Manga has a history of being anti-establishment. WcDonald's was their attempt to poke fun at one of the biggest ever symbols of large-scale, corporate ambition. But McDonald's, through leaning into subculture and a newfound flexibility, is attempting to flip the script. And potentially open itself up to previous detractors. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't. As ever, sales will tell. But it's a hat-tip from me to the burger brand for the attempt. And a sign of maturity from a brand opening itself up to play. #distinctiveassets #ehrenbergbass #marketing #subculture

McDonald's is rewriting the playbook for what it means to be a Gen Z brand. TLDR: be a media brand, partner with fandoms, and then grow your own fandom. WcDonald's - the brand's most recent partnership with anime fandom, is now one of the most exciting activations out there. It is fun, true to the fandom's lore, and generating massive engagement. (In recent BAMM research, we found that anime fandom has one of the highest rates of engagement: 1-in-4 of anime fans are superfans, the largest proportion among all the investigated fandoms.) Ok, now you ask — what's the magic? McDonald's is a cultural icon, but its iconic golden-arches logo is legally protected. So, the workaround? Design a logo that is recognizably similar, yet just different enough to keep McDonald's lawyers at bay. That's how we get WcDonald's: a literally upside-down, anime-version twin of McDonald's. And now it's been officially accepted into the McDonald's family. To mark the occasion, the McDonald's team created an anime mini-series centered on an exclusive new special sauce while paying homage to beloved anime character archetypes. Congratulations, team! The first WcDonald's restaurant is about to open in Los Angeles. Everyone should check it out; it is a masterclass in what it means to be a Gen Z brand. https://lnkd.in/gDrrUCyc #mcdonalds  #culturalstrategy #insights

Ever Wondered the Secret Behind a Restaurant's Menu? Here's a Sneak Peek👇 Last week, my journey home unveiled a management strategy not found in any my #IIM syllabus. Checkout my Carousel !! #getinspired is my series of inspiration from my personal life in connection with management concepts and strategies. My series of contents on every #wednesday is a #real life story with #bitmoji's conveying a concept blended with animation. I am Raghav R., Process expert building efficient process to enhance the business models. #conceptdesign #storytelling #storytellingforbusiness #management #carouselpost #storytellingforbusiness #businesstips #business #conceptdevelopment #processimprovement #managementlessons #managementskills #pricingstrategy #pricing #smallbusiness #smallbusinesstips #wednesdaywisdom

https://lnkd.in/ebrcJhGA It's SO weird at first, but actually really exciting, seeing Pixar THEMSELVES using the same characters and sets to create a McDonald's Happy Meal ad! 🙂 They've been able to take a boring-sounding client task (you would assume they would just shoot live-action footage of the promoted product), and turn it into an exciting opportunity to write for the main characters, like seeing actors backstage on their tea breaks still performing in character! 😊🎭 It's like this shows how much the people at Pixar really loved working on Elemental (whilst getting more financial security in the process)! 😊❤️ It makes it all the more engaging because it's animation (only 20-25 seconds), and, now thinking about it, I'm pretty sure it's been done a number of times before, but I don't think like this! 🙂 It's exciting that the sponsor is not being shoved in your face, and it DOES integrate well into the film's modern city Canary Wharf-like setting! 🏙 #marketing #advertising #animation #characterwriting #audienceengagement

a McChicken’s take on the WcDonald’s campaign. 🐓🍟 my maiden name is McKitchen… which led to a few years of being taunted with McChicken and other more profane twists, ah middle school 😔 I love the creativity of the WcDonald’s campaign, especially the brilliance of tapping into the popularity of manga, demonstrating an understanding of and connection to a local culture. manga is a form of visual storytelling, and McDonald’s effectively uses it to convey its brand message. I see some #brand lessons #lawfirms can take from the campaign. consistency across touchpoints: McDonald’s maintains consistency in its branding. law firms should ensure their brand messaging, visual elements, and tone are consistent across all communication channels for a cohesive and recognizable brand. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is very strong on this front. emotion (I know, so #woo 🤍 for legal) and connection: the use of manga art evokes emotions and creates a connection with the audience. law firms and #lawyers can aim to build emotional outcomes with people by emphasizing empathy, understanding, and the positive outcomes they can achieve. bravo McDonald's https://lnkd.in/eQdHaKAt

When we’re not celebrating our work of the moment, we’re recognizing the great work of others. That’s what the team have done in this week’s #CultureWire (our weekly newsletter). It’s remarkable how often our clients refer to passion points like #Anime (or K Drama, K Pop, Asian Hop Hop) as ‘emerging’. They are not emerging, they’ve arrived, and they’re dominant. McDonald's continues to impress me with their incredible cultural approach, this time centered round anime. Did you know Anime is the fastest growing content formats (by cross platform viewership) of the past 24 months? You do now. Need to brush up on your anime knowledge? Check out Culture Group Pte Ltd's ‘Anime Impact’ piece from last year to get up to speed. Anime Impact Report: https://lnkd.in/gHZY3njf McDonald’s is embracing anime and temporarily rebranding as WcDonald’s. As part of the campaign, the fast-food chain has partnered with Tokyo studio Pierrot to create four WcDonald’s-themed anime shorts (watch the first two here). McDonald’s has also worked with manga artist Acky Bright to create custom packaging for menu items, and there are weekly manga comics, too And this coming weekend, an LA branch will be transformed into an ‘immersive dining experience’, inspired by the isekai anime sub-genre, where characters are transported into a different world Teri Foong Ross Henderson Syahid N. Jake Victorio Sheryl Cai Ian Reynoso Victor Francisco Santos Andrew Stott https://lnkd.in/gNmxaHyW

Nerd Culture is Pop Culture Internet Culture is Pop Culture And now, we are finally starting to see major brands embrace both on a whole new level! McDonald’s announced its new campaign, paying homage to a decades-long tradition of including a restaurant called “WcDonald’s” in manga and anime. Also, the company brought on Japanese animation house Studio Pierrot to produce four anime shorts as well. I hope this continues the trend of solid adaptations for various fandoms and sub cultures within media and advertisement. Highlighting how entertainment is one big grey area now. Sidenote: Did ya’ll know the BLERD community aka Black Nerd Community was instrumental in anime’s growth in the U.S? What are your thoughts on this? #anime #mcdonalds #advertising #marketing

In our Pitch Graveyard series we resurrect the ones that weren't meant to be, or in this case, never took flight! Our US EP Eri Panasci Taylorson sat down with Neil Stubbings to explore the masterful world-building behind this pitch, how Neil applied his storytelling skills to the comedic and relatable design of the central characters, and how he used his experience in crafting recognisable and well-loved mascots that embody the brand messaging. Read the full article below: #process #animation #conceptdesign #styleframes #pitchdesign

Content Insider #823 - Real Movies There's a lot to admire (and dislike) about the movie/show industry. If you're at the top of the pyramid or a one percenter it's super fantagalistic. If you're in the top 10 percent...it ain't so bad. If you're below that - especially if you're a just a consumer of content - it's tough. For people on the creation side it is almost feast or famine when it comes to your work schedule. For those looking at the stuff it's sorta the same thing - more than a sane person can watch at one sitting or "jeezz there's nothing on my screen." When the industry temporarily shut down for awhile union and guild members took their cues from the Gen Z crowd and made the world hear them via social media. Influence, power has changed and almost everyone understands that...almost. Need the link try here - https://lnkd.in/gGdeGSaw Need the illustrations...ping us at andy@markencom.com If you like the article, share it with a friend. If you don't, share it with two enemies. - Andy