McDonald’s Corp. previewed a new ad campaign Wednesday on Twitter, sharing a 15-second commercial that showcases the brand’s ingredients and recognizes the farmers and ranchers in its supply chain.
Using the handle @McDListenTour during the chain’s “McDonald’s Listening Tour” on Twitter, chief marketing officer Neil Golden tweeted, “One thing we’re doing is telling our farm-to-fork story about our food.”
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The ad clip shows potato farmer Frank Martinez peeling and biting into a potato, saying, “If you think they’re good now, just wait until they’re McDonald’s fries.” That ad and several others featuring different farmers and ranchers debut on national television Jan. 2. The chain’s ad agency, DDB Chicago, created the spots.
“The McDonald’s system is committed to working together to more proactively tell the McDonald’s food quality story to showcase where our food comes from, what’s in it and how it is prepared,” the company said in a statement.
Ingredient quality has been the central feature for many restaurant chains’ marketing campaigns over the past few years, most notably with Domino’s Pizza and its documentary-style “Pizza Turnaround” commercials. Several spots in that campaign featured focus groups of consumers taken by surprise to a farm or ranch where Domino’s sources its tomatoes and cheese.
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Culver’s also paired its executives and suppliers in commercials for its new “Welcome to Delicious” campaign this year. Founder and chief executive Craig Culver not only demonstrated how the chain’s signature ButterBurger is prepared, but he also went to the Wisconsin farms where Culver’s gets its beef and cheese, and interviewed the farmers about their growing and sourcing philosophies.
Another quick-service rival of McDonald’s, Wendy’s, has focused its marketing on ingredient quality with a tagline, “You know when it’s real,” and many freshness cues being tested at its new prototype restaurants. At one revamped location in Columbus, Ohio, Wendy’s added a display cooler just behind the front counter, storing fresh lettuce and tomatoes. That unit also has a quote on the wall from founder Dave Thomas: “All of Wendy’s spins off of one word — fresh.”
Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s operates or franchises more than 14,000 restaurants in the United States.
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @Mark_from_NRN