Ads & Ends
Nanette Franco-Diyco
THE NEWEST McDonald’s television commercial is a far cry from the happy adult situations that have captivated many of us month after month. Director Joel Limchoc states that “pain is something that is not often tackled in commercials. Most of the time, we paint a picture of the ideal, and present that as a reality. That’s not an indictment of ads: it’s just something that is.”
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Creative agency Leo Burnett this time did a 90-degree turn, this commercial starting off with this young pretty girl in McDo Katipunan. Carrying her tray and looking for a table, she spots the corner table which suddenly brings back painful memories.
Leo Burnett Chief Creative Officer Raoul Panes talks about its emotional approach: “In a time where the consumer has a shrinking attention span, it’s very important to make your campaigns highly engaging. Big product claims hardly resonate anymore as every brand is shouting superiority in the marketplace. We wanted the campaign that tells the target that this is a brand that’s not all about itself; it also understands you.”
Flashback. She is crying, reaching across the table, trying her darndest best to stop her boyfriend from leaving her. The boy unemotionally stands and leaves her. There’s no stopping him.
Limchoc explains, “Being real, we couldn’t rely on the usual gimmicks of an ad. No over-the-top characters, no flashcuts, no sweeping camera movements to aid the emotions of the viewers. Instead, we wanted it to be a beautiful melancholy moment, from breakup to the ‘moving on’ scene. We just wanted to keep it simple, confident in the realness of the scene and hopeful that it resonates with everyone. So in terms of tonality, everything comes together with the direction of ‘keeping it quiet’: from music, costumes, makeup, lighting, camera work and overall finish of the film. This makes it relatable to the audience.”
Relatable indeed. My friend exclaims angrily after catching the ad, “I don’t know about these millenials! Time was when a boy would somehow devise some ways to deliberately anger his girl so she breaks off with him. I’ve always thought it was the gentlemanly way to break off a relationship. The girl’s pride is salved, minimizing the inevitable pain that goes with the whole miserable event. That kind of boy is big enough to weather what appears to be wounded pride. Call it compassion.”
Panes dwells precisely on the theme of the TVC: “Heartbreak is a common experience among the target [audience]. It’s a sensitive topic so we wanted to craft the material carefully. The ‘moving on’ story felt right for the product message of change, and our gut feel was saying that this can be effective and engaging.”
The commercial switches back to the present. We see the girl smiling, her body language communicating that she’s over all that and all is well with her world. And she bites into her burger. It’s absolutely clever that the dramatically happy change is effected with the new Burger McDo. Creative marketing here.
I think casting was just terrific. Limchoc reveals, “We had a couple of rounds of casting to get the right girl (and the boy that will break her heart). We wanted someone that people would care for — someone they would believe and relate to. Unanimously, Elisse Joson was everyone’s choice. When we had the acting workshop, she got it already. So, come shooting day, it was a breeze, though I did take a lot of options in terms of how painful the break up scene is. Elisse was crying that whole afternoon. She was such a pro. Every take was great. She imbibed the character with such affecting vulnerability that we knew we had something special.”
Panes added, “Anthony Labrusca also registers a powerful presence in a few seconds as the guy you’ll love to hate.”
I was touched by the creative team’s choice of music: “Tuloy Pa Rin” (It Still Goes On), the 1990s hit song by Neocolours, arranged by Teddy Katigbak and singer Krystle Yague. It had just the perfect lyrics and rendition that helped make the whole 30-second material a stunning kurot sa puso (tweak to the heart).
Credits. Client-company, McDonald’s Philippines. EVP/Deputy Managing Director Margot Torres; Marketing director Christina Lao; Product Manager Ashley Santillan.
Agency, Leo Burnett Manila. Creative team: Raoul Panes, Mela Advincula, Keena Jauregui, Spiro Barroga, Dan Tingcungco. AVP/Account Management Director Donny Dingcong; Group account director Judy Medina; Account director Maik Alturas; Account executive Andy Rivera; Planners: Joy Santos, Lia Malferrari. Production: Director Joel Limchoc (Pabrika); Producers: Steve Vesagas, Tria Sordan (Slingshot Manila); Caster Edge Pasion; Music arranger Teddy Katigbak (Hit Productions); vocalist Krystle Yague; audio engineers: Mark Villar, Daryl Reyes, Regie Ambas, Rico Gonzales; Glenn Mariano.
Nanette Franco-Diyco ended her 15th year advertising career as Vice-President of JWT, segueing into the world of academe, currently teaching communications at the Ateneo de Manila University.
