The Mac is back: how Wieden+Kennedy gave McDonald's its swagger
In this episode I'm joined by Tass Tsitsopoulos, Strategy Director, and Brandon Pracht, Managing Director for the McDonald's global advertising team at Wieden+Kennedy. I catch up with them to find out how they brought McDonald's swagger back with some of their most memorable and effective work in recent years, including the "Famous Orders" and "As Featured In" campaigns.
Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
00:56 - The difference between UK and US agencies
03:15 - How did Brandon get into advertising
04:52 - What makes the culture special
08:07 - How W+K won the McDonald’s account
11:34 - Importance of connecting with real people
12:52 - What happens after winning the pitch
15:15 - What was the best McDonald's ad?
19:19 - The "Famous Orders" campaign
23:46 - The impact of the campaign
27:00 - The financial results
27:49 - Investing in long term having short term effects
29:05 - The “As Featured In” campaign
31:09 - Building fame
36:03 - How to thrive with a client like McDonald's
39:02 - What happens when things don’t do well
41:44 - Advice for clients wanting to make great work
Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
00:56 - The difference between UK and US agencies
03:15 - How did Brandon get into advertising
04:52 - What makes the culture special
08:07 - How W+K won the McDonald’s account
11:34 - Importance of connecting with real people
12:52 - What happens after winning the pitch
15:15 - What was the best McDonald's ad?
19:19 - The "Famous Orders" campaign
23:46 - The impact of the campaign
27:00 - The financial results
27:49 - Investing in long term having short term effects
29:05 - The “As Featured In” campaign
31:09 - Building fame
36:03 - How to thrive with a client like McDonald's
39:02 - What happens when things don’t do well
41:44 - Advice for clients wanting to make great work