'Fancy a McDonald's?' Raise Your Eyebrows (Um, Arches) to Deliver the Message

So, how should you invite friends and co-workers to join you for a bite at McDonald’s? Simply ask if they’d like to come along? Send an email or a text, perhaps?

Where’s the fun in that?

The office drones in a fresh U.K. spot from Leo Burnett prefer strutting to the bass-tactic beat of Yello’s ’80s club thumper “Oh Yeah.” They rampantly raise their eyebrows—arching them, get it?—confident that folks will grasp the message and bop along by their side to Mickey D’s.

That was … uplifting. Were those come-hither stares? Their faces must ache so bad.

Director Edgar Wright, who helmed cult faves Baby Driver, Shaun of the Dead and Last Night in Soho, delivers some nonverbal fun in “Raise Your Arches,” the centerpiece of the fast feeder’s “Fancy a McDonald’s?” campaign.

“An invitation to McDonald’s is an opportunity to put our responsibilities aside and enjoy a little lift,” says Chaka Sobhani, U.K. and global CCO at Leo Burnett. “And we hope ‘Raise Your Arches’ does exactly that, allowing everyone to momentarily let go of life’s pressures and enjoying a Maccers.”

“Maccers,” eh? They sure talk purdy across the pond.

“As soon as I read the script, I was like, ‘Oh, I love this song, I love this premise. This will be a lot of fun,” Wright says.

The approach feels in sync with past McD’s efforts that play up the brand’s instant recognition and enduring pop-culture appeal (to the point of not mentioning the restaurant’s name).

The work launches today across TV and social media. Snapchat and Instagram lenses, plus high-tech venue takeovers are also in the mix.

CREDITS

Client: McDonald’s
CMO, SVP: Michelle Graham-Clare
Director of Marketing & Media: Steve Howells
Head of Marketing – Affinity, Trust & Family: Hannah Pain
Head of Customer Communications & Partnerships: Louise Page
Brand Manager: Amber Myers

Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett
CCO: Chaka Sobhani
Executive Creative Director: Mark Elwood
Creative Director: James Millers & Andrew Long
Senior Creative: Gareth Butters
Copywriter: Gareth Butters
Art Director: Joe Miller
Creative Director of Design: David Allen                      
Designer: Jakk Breedon
Head of Planning: Tom Sussman
Planning Director: Joe Beveridge
Senior Planner: Roxy Windisch
Head of Account Management: Sam Houlston
Business Director: Jay Perry
Account Director: Alice Pavey / Alex Light
Account Manager: Carys Parry
Account Executive: Brittony Kelly
Head of Project Management: Jamie Teale
Head of McDonalds TV Production: Graeme Light  

Media Agency: OMD
Media Team: Mandy Arora, Tejal Maru
Production Company: Moxie Pictures
Director: Edgar Wright
Editor: David Webb/ Final Cut
Producer: Doochy Moult
Post-Production Company: Framestore
Darran Nicholson (Flame), Alexia Paterson (Producer) and Stef Perry (Colourist)
Audio Post Production: Sam Ashwell/ 750mph

Photography and Motion Production: Prodigious
Head of Art Production: Jo Hodge
Photographer: Tom Van Schelven