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McDonald’s Makes the Best of a Mess

Published on February 29, 2016 at 12:45 p.m.
by Morgan Martin.

Oh McDonald’s, the father of fast food.

Over the past decade or so, McDonald’s has made an effort to continue to appeal to its audience on an international scale. When eating healthy became the new trend, McDonald’s introduced salad to the menu. When light was shed on child obesity, it offered apples as a kid’s meal side.

As a fast food staple, McDonald’s has been able to continuously and successfully adapt through the evolving food trends, but still manage to stay true to its brand.

Mcdonalds

Even so, we’re all familiar with the pink slime video — which curbed even the most loyal chicken nugget eater’s appetite — and, of course, the heartbreaking Twitter story of Matt and his two-month-old pet Big Mac. McDonald’s has received some pretty bad press in the brand’s history but somehow still finds a way to come out on top.

McDonald’s is one of many fast food chains that, in the past, lacked transparency in their advertisements. We know the food we see on fast food commercials is not going to look quite as polished when plopped onto a plastic red tray. For example, in the ad industry, mashed potatoes are used to create a fluffy ice cream aesthetic, and glue is used as milk so the cereal doesn’t become soggy before the end of filming.

It has always been important for brands to be transparent with consumers, but it’s especially important now. People tend to steer clear of brands that attempt to deceive them, such as producing advertisements with Valvoline-covered pancakes.

To counter this misleading way of advertising, McDonald’s released a series of short videos via Twitter showing popular items being prepared. These videos feature crumbs scattered around a sandwich and eggs splayed on a grill. They show a messy but real version of what plays out when a McDonald’s sandwich is made.

McD eggs

Because of bad press in the past, McDonald’s food is often viewed by consumers as overly processed and not freshly prepared. These videos combat that perception, and according to the Twitter responses, made consumers crave their product.

Overall, the responses were overwhelmingly positive. Consumers love that the brand gives a candid, behind-the-scenes look at its food.

Check the videos out for yourself, and I guarantee you’ll be lovin’ it.

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