In Sweden, for music festival Way Out West, Nord DDB created the “Future Fan Stage” to play select tracks for sperm and eggs in an IVF lab. In addition to tilting the unborn in their direction, studies show that music and vibrations improve IVF fertilization rates. Really, though, this elaborate shock-value thing is mostly to illustrate how important live music is to humans. The stage was designed by Love Hultén, and looks pricier than our childhood bedrooms.

For those of you following European politics, you probably know the U.K. has finally gone left again. But immigration remains a hot topic throughout the west, where a lot of angry and delusional people with microphones love talking about how migrants are criminals and terrorists. For the Migration Museum, and over the course of the Euro 2024 soccer tournament, Wonderhood Studios created “England Without Immigration,” which rhetorically wonders what the nation’s squad would look like without people from migrant backgrounds. You’d have to bench more than half of the players.

More stuff from Nord DDB, for Swedish intelligence platform Funnel. “Make Data Dance” takes the usual info pitch and filters it through different musical moments. “We make data playful and hard to resist,” a narrator sassily says in an ad titled “Like a ’90s Boy Band for Your Marketing Data.” A girl dances in her room, cluttered like so many data funnels. Also see “Like a Banjo in a Hoedown” and “Like a Shot of Tequila.”

Leo Burnett U.K. helps McDonald’s fête its 50th by breaking it down old-school. Here we are, at a 1980s birthday party, while a kid loses it to “Know How” by Young MC, who’s British born. The work ends with a montage of McD’s restaurants over time. The best part of this ad is the kids, but we like how McD’s is leaning into the nostalgia theme.

Since there’s so much music in this summery edition, we’ll wrap with something dance-worthy.  

Chicken Neck Syndrome, Lip Syncosis, Lead Finger Disorder: All are symptoms caused by summer hits promoted by Spotify Italy. All appear in Dentsu Creative’s latest work, dreamily plugging the “Estate 2024” playlist (“estate” meaning “summer” in Italian, and not something most Millennials can’t afford). The lead song in the ad is “Pedro” by Jaxomy, Agatino Romero and Raffaella Carrà, which went big on TikTok (generating 6.2 billion views) and hit no. 1 on Spotify’s Viral 50 global charts.

The Grandma McFlurry debuts May 21, but for folks in NYC today and Sunday, the Grandma’s McFlurry Mobile will make stops at senior center and assisted living facilities to spread joy. Listen for a McDonald’s jingle playing through the truck’s speaker.

Grab your coziest cardigan and dig in!

Sure, the “Mmm” bit is just too easy. Still, in a marketing sense, McD’s owns the 13th letter of the alphabet, so the approach tallies. As part of the push, there’s an “Mmm Filter” on Snapchat that distorts users’ faces into masks of joy. Just like the guy in the commercial. Yay?

Meanwhile, across the world in Australia, DDB Sydney, adam&eveDDB and OMD expanded that “Original Mouthful” initiative unveiled a few weeks ago. 

Unlike the U.K. stuff, these are packed with verbiage. We get throwback videos with grainy film quality repping the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. The chain’s “Two All-Beef Patties” rapid-fire patter serves as a focus.

Snapchat plays into this campaign, too, with a challenge to win McD’s meal vouchers. 

And dig the funky OOH below. It’s almost like they’re trying to tell us something.

Turrino, ‘Beautiful and Bubbly’

Turrino presents the vivacious Pooja Hegde as the bubbly “Bhima Bride.” A celebration of luxe style—as sparkling as the jewelry on display.

Oreo, ‘Trust the Twist’

LePub Amsterdam bids farewell to the coin toss and introduces a new method: let the Oreo decide! Check out the full series for a fun and tasty twist on decision making.

Panadol, ‘Pain Is Everywhere’

Grey Dubai employs a cheeky mockumentary style to provide relief from painful dangers such as the dreaded Lego on the floor and half-open cupboards.

McDonald’s, ‘Factory’

What if one of McD’s Happy Meal boxes left the factory sans smile? Would the world stop spinning? Find out below via TBWABuenos Aires.

ProActiv, ‘Live Fearlessly’

She fears nothing despite the omnipresent dangers that come with shooting a genre-blending, mind-bending sci-fi kung fu flick. It’s all about getting your cholesterol in check. From TBWANeboko.

Those interested in raising their game can visit McDonald’s U.K.’s Instagram page to sign a contract validated by a Pre-Nug official in real-time. Plunge-takers will receive “love, McNuggets and prizes.”

There’s even printed versions of the Pre-Nug Agreement on tray-liners in McDonald’s restaurants.

In other McD’s news this week, Lil Yachty revamped the brand’s memorable “Menu Song” from the ’90s, and the restaurant’s ops in Australia revived the iconic “Two All-Beef Patties” jingle.

CREDITS 

CAMPAIGN TITLE: Pre-Nug Agreement
CLIENT: McDonald’s UK
ADVERTISING AGENCY:  Leo Burnett UK
CCO: Mark Elwood
ECD: Andrew Long & James Millers
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Gareth Butters
CREATIVE: Chanelle Merriam & Joshua Merriam
CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF DESIGN: Dave Allen
SENIOR DESIGNER: Rupert Knowlden
SENIOR DESIGNER: Tomek Drozdowski
SENIOR INTEGRATED DESIGNER: Gurcan Ergur
SENIOR DIGITAL AND MOTION DESIGNER: Pete Rowse
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Siobhan Mulcahy
DEPUTY CSO: Tom Sussman
SOCIAL PLANNING DIRECTOR: Benjamin Obadia
BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Jay Perry
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER: Nicola Kuan
ACCOUNT MANAGER: Jan Nikawala
CHIEF PRODUCTION OFFICER: Emily Marr
AGENCY PRODUCER:  Anna Cartwright

PRODUCTION COMPANY: SMUGGLER
DIRECTOR: Tom Speers
MANAGING DIRECTOR / EP: Lucy Kelly
PRODUCER: Luca Chapman
EDITOR: Adam Spivey @ The Assembly Room
EDIT PRODUCER: Phoebe Armstrong-Beaver @ The Assembly Room
POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: Black Kite
COLOURIST : Tom Mangham 
VFX & COLOUR PRODUCER: Tamara Mennell 
AUDIO POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: String & Tins 
SOUND DESIGN:  Adam Smyth
AUDIO PRODUCER:  Alina Miroshnichenko
MUSIC: Audio Network
SOCIAL PRODUCTION COMPANY: Sliced Studio
CONTENT PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Yiani Andrikidis

McDonald’s Brand Team:
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, S.V.P: Michelle Graham-Clare
MARKETING DIRECTOR: Matt Reischauer
HEAD OF MARKETING, FOOD & BEVERAGES: Ben Sherburn
HEAD OF CONSUMER COMMUNICATIONS & PARTNERSHIPS: Louise Page
MARKETING MANAGER: Ana Saffer
BRAND MANAGER: Josie Thompson-Green
CAMPAIGN ASSISTANT: Kara Minnis

Agency Partners
MEDIA: OMD UK
PR: Ready10
CRM: Armadillo

You want some nostalgia with those fries?

Lil Yachty supersizes the deal in a Canadian campaign from Cossette, revamping the McDonald’s “Menu Song.”

That wordy track—which name-checks dozens of items—was a staple of commercials from 1989 through the mid-90s. And it’s enjoyed a recent renaissance of sorts across social.

Meanwhile, at the counter, Yachty’s a tad hungry:

“We thought it was the right time to revive this classic in a way that was relevant to our Gen Z audience, while at the same time allowing Gen X to hear this remix and remember something that resonated in their own formative years,” says client marketing director Rebecca Smart.

Of course, nostalgia always sells. This is just the latest such play from McD’s, which has excelled in the space. Most recently, its Aussie ops brought back the beloved “Two All-Beef Patties” jingle. Elsewhere, in something of the same style, Papa Johns stuffed ads with pop-culture goodies.

“We had to go beyond the usual screens and channels and do something that reflected how our fans were already hacking and customizing existing McDonald’s menu items,” says Andrew Chisholm, ECD at Cossette. “So, we turned to social to find out what a few top faves were, and in response, created a new limited-time menu with remixed icons inspired by fans.”

The “Menu Song” remix will run in English and French on TV, Spotify, Twitch, OOH and digital media. Be on the lookout for merchandise, too.

As for the inspo: “We had been seeing tons of videos of Gen Z McDonald’s fans singing their orders at restaurants and drive-thrus, and posting them on social,” Chisholm tells Muse. “So many of them were super clever and funny. A member of our McDonald’s Canada team with some fond memories dug up the original ‘Menu Song’ commercial from 1989—and then it was the classic lightbulb moment. Not only was the original an earworm, the entire integrated campaign was so rooted in fandom. They actually mailed vinyl records of the Menu Song all over the U.S. and Canada.”

Lil Yachty was cast because “he had worked at McDonald’s in his teens, his style is constantly evolving and he’s an all-round nice person,” Chisholm says.

“After his very first take, which he nailed in one go, all of us in video village erupted like we had won a championship. Maybe we sort of did.”