Lürzer’s Archive Special Report
FOOD+ DRINK Feast on inspiring creativity
MAESSTUDIO.COM photographer & director
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
“It was a bold person that first ate an oyster.”
Photo by kind permission of Tessa Traeger, info@tessatraeger.com | tessatraeger.com
Jonathan Swift
In 19th Century London, oysters were sold on almost every street corner. They were a staple of the poorest. An everyday, cheap alternative to meat. Today, of course, they are a luxury. At New York’s famous Grand Central Oyster Bar a dozen will set you back around $50. At Scott’s in London, you could pay well over £60. These days, the food and drinks markets are changing faster than ever, and in many cases even more dramatically. Cars may be going electric and new AI technology may be amazing us with its potential. But nothing is more essential to life than food and drink, and nothing is more susceptible to fads, fashions and full-on revolution. Only a few years ago, veganism was seen as little more than an eccentric cult, gin and tonic was your grandparents’ favourite tipple, fast food was a first-rate idea and a big juicy steak was the epitome of aspiration. Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, the world’s moved on. And so has the creative work clients are demanding. Health, diet, sourcing, sustainability, plant-based, food miles, organic and botanical are today’s marketing buzzwords. Food got serious, you could say. A good moment, we thought, to reflect on the past decade while investigating what might be coming our way in the next few years. Over the following pages, we review the global bunfight between burger superbrands, McDonald’s and Burger King, look at the most searched food and drink ads from our archive, explore the trends that will set the future creative agenda, explore the explosion of small booze brands on social media and try to help prepare you for future briefs. So, time to be bold yourself. Order up a dozen sustainably produced bivalves with a glass of organic Sauvignon and get stuck in.
Vol 3/2022
164–165
Decoding the future FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
Let’s assume, just for a moment, that geopolitical tensions ease. That energy markets stabilise. And that the pandemic continues to wane.
What, in this normalized world, does the future hold for creatives working on food and drink briefs? What buzzwords, doublespeak, jargon, or even, genuinely important language will strategists sprinkle through their documents and expect you to understand and convert into compelling creative solutions? We turned to the futurists at Mintel for an insight into the themes and memes likely to dominate between now and 2030. Here’s our take on their predictions. We hope it helps.
Lürzer’s Archive
Source: Mintel 2030 Global Food and Drink Trends
Activate Activism
Consciously Consume
A clever copywriter is no longer enough. Mere intent is no longer acceptable. As well as talking the talk, brands will increasingly need to walk the walk.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin famously had a conscious uncoupling. Now consumers will consciously uncouple themselves from brands that fail to facilitate a more mindful approach to lifestyle and diet. They will instead support companies that make them feel better by just buying a product, knowing that they are making a small but important statement about environmentally friendly packaging and the use of precious resources in food production, distribution and retail.
Consumers will look for real, and meaningful, results-oriented activism. When it comes to important societal issues, they will expect your clients to be leading the way on environmental issues, ethical practices, public health and animal welfare. How committed a brand (and its marketing) is to these issues will ultimately determine the success or failure of a product.
left page: Digital artist David Butler, 200best Digital Artists 21/22 this page left: LIDL HELLAS, Dish Agency The Newtons Laboratory, Chalandri, Greece L[A] 2/2022 this page right: GOOGO GREEN Agency Ogilvy Group Thailand, Bangkok L[A] 2/2022
Vol 3/2022
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Eat the planet better Consumers are hungry for change. Generation Z is well aware that they have the planet’s future in their hands, and are determined to make a difference both personally and globally. To their mind, and rightly so, a healthier planet will only emerge if they switch to a healthier diet. Brands that show how they prioritise a consumer’s health and welfare and the planet’s future over short-term profitability will be rewarded with loyalty for years to come.
Lürzer’s Archive
Hyper smart food The once revolutionary smartphone is now ubiquitous. Next up for transformation is the concept of smart diets – hyper-individualised approaches to eating better. Sharing their personal data with a multitude of Internet of Things-enabled devices, consumers will customise their eating preferences. Recipes and meals designed around their personal flavour, taste and texture proclivities will become the norm, and home devices such as Amazon’s Alexa and Nestlé China’s personal smart speaker XiaoAI will evolve and provide brands with huge opportunities to collect data and influence consumer choices.
Feast on data
Harvest technology
Mental health is coming out of the closet; and food has a big role to play in our future emotional well-being. Consumers will use data and biological tests as essential ingredients in their diet plans. Modifying their food choices to improve brain health, their state of mind and their mood. Brands that harness this trend will create individualized meal kits, mood-enhancing nutritional drinks, customized diet plans and even personalized products.
As resource shortages strain supply chains and hurt yields of conventional agriculture, science and technology will play an increasing role in feeding the world. And consumers will overcome their fears to see the value and necessity of lab-created or engineered foods. Already indoor vertical farming in environments more akin to high-tech factories is transforming the inner-city supply of herbs and vegetables in New York and London. Soon premium grocery brands will open branded indoor farms to offer just-picked freshness.
More and more ingredients will be grown in alternative places such as underground, underwater, even in deserts and, ultimately, out there in space.
left page: THE GREEN O Photographer Dan Goldberg 200best Ad Photographers 21/22 this page left: Digital artist Antoine Magnien, 200best Digital Artists 19/20 this page right: Agency Sancho BBDO, Bogota L[A] 5/2019
Vol 3/2022
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Dan Goldberg PHOTOGRAPHER/DIRECTOR
312.225.7044 GOLDBERGPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
REPRESENTED BY: HEATHER ELDER HEATHERELDER.COM 415.931.7709
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
The Social drinker Craft beers and niche liquor brands are all the rage and using social media to come to market. In a departure for L[A] we look outside the conventional ad world and ask Dan Hooper, Los Angeles based Creative Director of the YesMore agency, what’s happening in today’s Instagrammable drinks world.
Photographer Tatu Garcia, 200best Ad Photographers 21/22
L[A] 2/2020
L[A] Can you tell us a little about YesMore – how long it’s been going, your clients in the US and Europe, and why social media is now such an important part of drinks marketing. DH YesMore is a creative-led marketing agency working specifically for brands within the drinks industry. Our clients include Aperol Spritz, Grey Goose vodka, Dutch Barn Orchard vodka, Black Tower Wine and many more. We’ve just celebrated our fifth birthday and have seen a lot of changes in the social media landscape in that short amount of time. To us, it feels as if social media somehow becomes more and more integral to how brands speak to their consumers year on year. Specifically with drinks products, there’s so much important information to get across, from heritage, serving suggestions and tasting notes, that an always-on social media presence really suits a modern drinks business. Not to mention the number of new drinks brands that need to find smart and creative ways of competing with the giants. Social media is the perfect realm for this. L[A] Our magazine is mainly about the more conventional parts of advertising – print, billboards and TV/video. But our readers increasingly have to work across media platforms incorporating social media. Do you work alongside ad agencies or separately? What’s best for your clients? How should our creative readers work with agencies like YesMore? DH It seems in 2022 agencies have to be able to do a bit of it all! While the traditional agencies are being asked to incorporate social media, we often are asked how to wrap print and broadcast into our work. The obvious answer is starting with a great idea (I’m sure we’ve all heard this one before!). But make sure your initial idea isn’t linked too hard to its medium. We really push for concepts that fit the brand and consumer culture perfectly, but are still loose enough for all agencies involved to be able to have some fun and adaptable for the prospective mediums. The most painful mistake we see on a monthly basis is the above-the-line team sending cut downs of the broadcast spot for social. These can fit the bill for running as social ads with large amounts of media spend behind them, where we just push for eyes on brand and frequency of viewing. But if you want people to engage, this is not the answer. L[A] The market on both sides of the Atlantic seems to have exploded in terms of smaller, craft brands – is that due to influencers and social media, or just a desire by consumers for something new and different? DH It’s worth noting that new brands have been cropping up in the space steadily over the last decade, but there are slight
nuances on what’s being launched. For example the more recent boom of celebrity-led brands, and even more niche, celebrity-led tequila brands. I feel this was really pioneered by the craft beer movement. The beer giants got caught sleeping, all offering identical(ish) tasting plain lagers. The moment something new and interesting came onto the scene, people flocked to it. People ultimately like finding new brands and new tastes, new ways to feel like an individual, yet at the same time being a part of a group. It’s a weird bit of human psychology and often a thin line to walk but we don’t see it changing any time soon! L[A] The cost of entry into the alcohol market seems to have come down dramatically – is that because of social media? In the UK, for example, literally hundreds of small gin brands have come to market as well as endless craft beers. Is something similar happening in the US? DH Cost of entry into the market is sadly something that’s in upheaval currently. There are once again CO2 shortages and grain shortages due to the war in Ukraine. Not to mention the cardboard and glass shortages/price hikes which are a mix of Covid and the UK’s Brexit. Now with the upcoming cost of the energy crisis, I don’t think small start ups will be able to operate as low cost as they have been to date. Gin boomed in part due to the revival of the liquid (hundreds of reasons!) and the fact that it’s a relatively simple alcohol to distill with no need to age over time. It can come straight off the still, into the bottle, then out to retail. The same can’t quite be said here in the States. There’s not as great a love affair with the classic G&T here, the margarita seems to be more their speed. This year (2022), shoppers in the US will spend more money on mezcal and tequila than whiskey, the country’s second most popular spirit. I often compare the meteoric rise of gin in the UK to the boom of tequila/mezcal in the States. L[A] If gin and small, local craft beers are the big trend in the UK, what are the major trends in N. America? Tequila? What’s happened to vodka … has that become less popular? DH Vodka is easy to overlook but it’s still the most sold spirit in the country (Tito’s to be precise). So vodka is still in the lead and by quite some margin, make no mistake. Using volume as a measure, it sold 78.1 million cases in 2021, more than double the volume of premixed cocktails which was the next category. Tequila and mezcal were fourth on this scale for reference. I’m keeping a very close eye on tequila and mezcal brands, as are a plethora of celebrity faces – including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Breaking Bad co-stars Aaron Paul and Bryan Vol 3/2022
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L[A] 2/2020
L[A] 5+6/2021
L[A] 1/2022
Cranston; Nick Jonas, Rita Ora, Adam Levine and Justin Timberlake to name a few. L[A] There is a clear trend among young people in Europe to drink less (not that I’ve noticed it in my own children) … is this also true in the States? DH Younger generations are undoubtedly drinking less in the States, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported this is actually a global trend. There are a lot of factors that go into this but from my perspective here in California, it is again due to individualism. Most times each generation wants to do something different from the last one with Gen Z being no different, looking to shed the cultural trends and traditions set by previous generations. On top of this, no generation has ever been so recorded. The always-on nature of social media means any behavior (good or bad) can be captured and shared in seconds. What’s interesting is that the late night booze filled shenanigans that were worn as medals to be proud of by the millennial generation, is anything but for Gen Z. Apparently falling asleep with your face in your KFC bucket is now no longer something to be proud of. Lastly, the rise of cannabis especially in California has potentially decreased spending or interest in alcohol, though the jury is still out on its exact effect at this time. L[A] One of the big growth areas is no-alcohol beers and spirits. What’s going on? DH Yes, this is another trend that we’re seeing in multiple markets. The want for non-alcoholic and “functional” beverages is another area very much in growth. In my opinion, this is another trend led by social media. Sitting around and consuming round after round of drinks with friends isn’t all that captivating in terms of content. Instead, younger generations would rather involve themselves in activities where they’re not hindered by alcohol. Hiking, exploring, dancing, traveling are all big hitters in terms of social currency now. Lürzer’s Archive
L[A] Can you give us one or two examples of where social media and conventional advertising have combined to create a really effective campaign? DH This year Heineken released The Closer. A Bluetooth-enabled bottle opener that closes down your laptop once a beer is opened. A fairly simple concept but the execution was fantastic. Their broadcast spot chimed with what many of us are feeling on the other side of the pandemic – that we all seem to be working 24/7 now. The cure to this is simply a friend cracking open a cold one... even if you are mid-meeting. Where their social promotion was smart, was linking up with Austin Evans, a tech YouTuber with over five million followers to review the opener, reaching an audience they otherwise might not be talking to by sticking to the usual sports crowd. While it was really fun, it did touch on a serious subject of poor work-life balance, elevating it above the usual conversations a beer brand finds itself in. L[A] Or an example or two of where the main driver of a brand’s success has been social media. DH Although they’re at the center of a lot of controversy, Brewdog has utilized social media in a way no big beer brand has effectively done prior. Their tone of voice lent itself perfectly to social and by linking that to a way their fans could actually support them monetarily, made for a wildly successful crowdfunding campaign. The brand launched its latest round of crowdfunding in October 2020, with a target of £10m ($11m) over an initial 90-day period. It ended up raising £11.3m ($12.5m) from more than 24,000 backers. Something I personally couldn’t have seen happening without such a strong, always on social presence. L[A] How do you rate the different social media platforms demographically for drinks marketing? Is Tik Tok as important as some people say? The issue the work originally appeared in is noted.
L[A] 3+4/2021
L[A] 2/2022
L[A] 3/2022, spot for Aviation gin
DH TikTok is somewhat a gray area for alcohol marketers. As there is currently no age gating on the platform, we advise all of our clients not to advertise in the space. But with TikTok bringing in so many monthly users, it’s hard to deny the appeal. TikTok estimates that it has about 80 million monthly active users in the US. 60% are between the ages of 16-24, so it’s definitely a younger platform than most, with Facebook’s largest age range being the 25-34 category. But the rather sizable chunk of TikTok users under the age for consumption in the US highlights how it’s not really appropriate for alcohol marketing in the US currently. L[A] Have you spotted any particular trends in the way drink is marketed creatively? Do you have a current favorite drinks ad campaign? DH People know that consumers don’t need to see the same frosted beer glasses and models sitting around drinking together that they’ve seen for twenty years. Ryan Reynolds is probably the best current example with Aviation American Gin and their short (often straight to YouTube) ads that serve as comedy content more than an ad. The vasectomy cocktail he created for Father’s Day in 2021 gained over 7m views and is well worth a watch.
hol brands can do to ensure a high quality (and Instagrammable!) drinking experience at home will be winning new customers. L[A] What’s your own favourite drink (s)? And where do you like to drink it – bar, restaurant, home? DH I always love answering this question. I will say a mezcal margarita at home is a particular Friday night treat. They’re fun to make and refreshing after a hot day. When we go out to a restaurant I’m most likely to find a local beer, I’ll drink most styles but nothing really above 6% anymore. I have a two-year-old and have to be up at 6am most days! L[A] Finally, is there a drinks ad campaign of the past 10 years that you wish you’d been involved in?
L[A] What are your predictions for how the drinks market will develop over the next few years?
DH Oh so many! There are easily thirty brands I wish I’d launched or designed the branding of. But in terms of a campaign that always comes back to me, it’s got to be Babe Wine’s Moving On campaign. In the opening months of the pandemic they partnered with dating app Bumble to cover the moving costs of women who are stuck living with an ex during lockdown. Babe Wine and Bumble are all about female-first, taking the lead and making bold choices. For me this campaign just fits the brand so perfectly, I really wish I was behind it!
DH I hate to say it, but I think it’s going to be a really rough ride, especially for any small breweries, over the next year or so. Global recession on top of a multitude of other price rises and goods shortages makes it an almost impossible journey to navigate. So I think we’ll see the number of new breweries/beer brands slow. I also think we’ve just about hit peak gin, I’m not sure many retailers will take a meeting with any new gin brands having been inundated with them over the last three or four years. With bar closures on the rise, home drinking and entertaining will become the norm, but with this, people will be looking for ways to serve interesting and high quality drinks. Whatever alco-
Dan Hooper Dan is Co-Founder and Creative Director of YesMore, a Los Angeles and Londonbased alcohol marketing agency. His Instagram channel @BrewWithAView is home to thousands of beer fans worldwide, pairing worldwide travel with the drinking of great beer. He has a monthly column in The Buyer and has written for The Drinks Business, Hop Culture, Campaign and Drinks International.
This information and full credits at luerzersarchive.com
Vol 3/2022
180–181
Noel Barnhurst Photographer
noelbarnhurst.com
PETE WILSON OAKLAND, CA
WWW.PETEXWILSON.COM
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
A global bunfight Award-winning creative director Tony Malcolm explores the past, present and future of McDonald’s and Burger King advertising as these two mega brands slog it out in the world’s fast food market.
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top: L[A] 1/2019, bottom: L[A] 2/2022
previous spread: L[A] 1/2022 (left page), L[A] 4/2018 (right page) top: L[A] 1/2020, bottom: L[A] 4/2019
I was involved in McDonald’s advertising on both sides of the pond as a writer, CD and ECD for well over a decade. I remember when I first was asked to be on the account in the early 2000s and thinking it was a poisoned chalice to delve into the murky world of fast food. It was also a massive opportunity to work with one of the world’s most iconic brands under the glow of the Golden Arches. But the film called Supersize Me had made the brand into the golden arch-villain, that it was the main culprit in contributing to the burgeoning obesity crisis. I clearly remember one shoot in Uxbridge where a woman clutching a can of high-strength lager in one hand and a cigarette in the other (which begged the question, how was she pushing her child’s buggy?) asked me what commercial we were shooting. ‘Oh, it’s for Big Mac,’ I casually replied. Her expression immediately changed to one of total disdain as she reprimanded me “You should be ashamed of yourself” before storming off in a cloud of Marlboro smoke. The whole brand had become a pariah in the UK and beyond.
ered their primeval urge to gather around flames, drink ale and cook meat. Out of the red, white and blue, there was this thing called a Big Mac from the States, that towered above those flat, uninspired offerings. Two burgers stacked between three pieces of bread with an assortment of other ingredients. The ad was a jingle with a roll call of its ingredients as, “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun”. “I need to go and get my bony frame down to that McDonald’s restaurant and buy myself one of those monsters, with a full fat milkshake to wash it down with,” I mused. Big Mac had arrived and there was nothing else quite like it. I was young at the time and it seemed huge in my diminutive hands. I remember their jingle from back then saying “There’s a difference at McDonald’s you’ll enjoy”. And I did, along with smoking and underage drinking, putting paid to my earlier promise as a talented sportsman.
Now I recall the opening of the first McDonald’s in the part of London I was born and bred in. Burgers had just been the sort you could buy at Wimpy or from stands outside football grounds and fun fairs. They would appear at barbecues, when the men discov-
I became aware of this clown called Ronald who was ensconced in scrapes with a stalker called Hamburglar trying to steal his burger from him. Ronald resolved this situation by taking him and a group of children to McDonald’s to load up on calories. How Ron hasn’t been canceled in these less innocent times, I don’t know. Then a newcomer entered the fray. The Whopper from Burger
Lürzer’s Archive
The issue the work originally appeared in is noted.
top: L[A] 2+3/2021, bottom: L[A] 1/2019
top: L[A] 5/2016, bottom: L[A] 1/2017
King with a very catchy jingle loaded with innuendo saying “mine’s a Whopper, you need two hands just to hold that thing”, which found great traction in the playground as a chant. These two gladiators entered the ring like Cassius Clay and Smokin’ Joe Frazier ready to slug it out to claim the World Heavyweight Champions belt. Meanwhile, my own belt was feeling the strain of deciding which one was superior. Suddenly, fast food was a cheap alternative that Brits embraced with open hearts and open mouths with the two titans of this new form of cuisine vying for our affections. McDonald’s going for slow motion shots of bouncing crisp lettuce, succulent beef patties, fluffy looking buns, all lavished with mouth-watering sauce, lashings of onions and pickles sprinkled with sesame seeds over a beautifully browned dome. Whopper came back with flames licking around a huge, glistening, griddle-lined patty with onions, tomatoes and lettuce spilling out of a gargantuan bun the size of two dustbin lids, claiming they’d been flame-grilled since 1954. Great adverts started appearing making McDonald’s seem as British as fish and chips. Clever Daddy, Being Six, Birds and The Bees and A Day in The Life of McDonald’s all used emotion and humor to grow the UK’s affection for high sugar, salt and fat products. This information and full credits at luerzersarchive.com
Eye-catching posters for ice cream going for 20p used the typography of the numbers and letter to make smiley faces appear. Value ads utilizing dry British humor ran about how much work Alan Hansen had to do to afford a 99p Quarter Pounder. ‘Very very poor’ was all he needed to say to cover the cost of the burger. Other tips on how to save money introduced us to the notion of strapping carpet tiles to our feet to replicate that luxurious carpet feel underfoot all over the house without forking out for expensive shag pile. In 2003, the slogan “I’m lovin’ it” emerged as the global endline with the five-bar sting for McDonald’s, courtesy of Justin Timberlake. But then a film was released that was to make the world start loathin’ it. In 2004, Supersize Me saw Morgan Spurlock, a documentary maker, go to McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner, until he made himself physically sick in the name of art and nutrition. It put the blame for obesity firmly on the doorstep of McDonald’s and started a wave of myths and stories about what other dubious practices were involved in the sourcing and manufacture of their food items. A new digital tool called the internet helped spread these rumors like wildfire. McDonald’s had to do something radical in the UK to overcome this wave of negative publicity and be seen as the standard bearer for good and ethical practices in the UK. Vol 3/2022
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top: L[A] 3/2007, bottom: L[A] 2/2018
top: L[A] 2/2016, bottom: L[A] 1/2022
Ads about the provenance and quality started appearing. McDonald’s beef was sourced from British farmers, as well as their Pentland Crown potatoes. Their chicken and eggs were free range, their cooking oil was re-used as fuel for their delivery trucks. No patty was left unturned in their desire to prove their spotless credentials. McDonald’s UK went on the front foot and refurbed their restaurants whilst updating their menu. Their core products like Big Mac, fries, chicken nuggets, quarter pounder with cheese, McFlurry, Coca-Cola and Happy Meals remained the same, but they brought in carrot sticks and fruit bags for the kids and even the McSalad. McCafé introduced artisan coffee to replace the stuff you could stand your spoon up in.
Beware of pick-packets ran on the London Tube warning of unscrupulous people with their eyes on your fries. This wave of ad activity saw McDonald’s sales increase by 500% and started a series of lovely ads that planted McDonald’s products firmly into a role in everyday life, 24/7. A brand ad for Happy Meals asked the age old question, “what is it about kids and boxes?”, showing how children’s curiosity about a six-sided container often exceeds the interest of what’s inside it. Happy Meals underwent their own upgrade, swapping out plastic toys for e-books and more educational offerings. They became a popular carrier for new film releases, producing partnerships with studios that linked their characters with carrot sticks and fruit bags.
Their confidence was high and they produced their first brand ad in ten years. ‘Just Passing By‘ was an ode to their core menu items that put them into everyday life from breakfast in the mornings to the late night revellers coming in to line their stomachs. David Morrissey’s dulcet tones to the theme tune to The Grifters accompanied people enjoying all sorts of menu items at all times of the day. “There’s a McDonald’s for everyone”, Mr Morrissey announced as we saw that promise in all its glory, shot beautifully by Neil Gorringe. This confidence was echoed on poster sites with insights that extolled the virtues of their offerings like ‘Painfully Thick’ for their shakes, ‘Gherkin or gherkout’ that asked the split jury whether they left the pickle in or took it out of their Big Mac and ‘Mirror, signal, McDonald’s’ that took you off road and into the Drive-Thru. The line
The French too were feeling the confidence, putting out some wonderful poster work with their products represented in flat bold colors. No logo, just iconic imagery. They produced a character of their own called Monsieur Happy who bears an uncanny likeness to the ever-popular Minions. However, sales in the States were in quarterly decline due to more healthy options like Chipotle rising in popularity with millennials. They tried to halt decline with a film that claimed that Lovin’ beats Hatin’, which failed to move the needle and ultimately McDonald’s aligned all their marketing activity with the ‘agency of the future’ called We Are Unlimited with digital and data at its heart. Burger King, which produces many items akin to those at McDonald’s, ran a film where the only item people from around the world knew them for, The Whopper, was said in all their diverse accents.
Lürzer’s Archive
The issue the work originally appeared in is noted.
L[A] 2/2020
top: L[A] 3/2017, bottom: L[A] 5/2019
The horsemeat scandal that threatened to scupper the Whopper’s sales, increased its popularity. Instead of putting people off, it encouraged them to give it a go. If the French eat le cheval, it can’t be all bad. McDonald’s burgers were found to be devoid of any horsemeat, but they decided not to stick the riding boot in on The Whopper, mainly because they too could’ve been caught out by a beef provider not sticking meticulously to their strict guidelines. Whopper meanwhile didn’t stop its attack on The Big Mac. They produced an ad that showed the Whopper growing moldy over time next to a Big Mac that stayed pristine due to its use of preservatives. It won many plaudits and awards, but critics say it left a nasty taste in the mouth regarding The Whopper. What madness to show your product looking anything less than magnificent. I think this served as a singular lesson that bold and brave don’t always equal persuasive and awards don’t always reflect what is liked by the public. We are tasked with making mouths water in food advertising, not producing imagery that makes you reach for a bucket. I have lost many a good ad due to research but in this instance, even though the message was a strong one, perhaps a straw poll or vox pop would have made Burger King think twice before going out on such a fragile limb. Much more in line with their subterfuge and cleverness was a PR campaign revealing that whenever Burger King shot its whopping offering for an ad, they had sneakily hidden a Big Mac behind it to demonstrate its inferior size. This information and full credits at luerzersarchive.com
This was gloves-off stuff that probably irked McDonald’s, but didn’t prompt them to retaliate, preferring to keep on the winning formula of showing the Big Mac looking glorious and introducing a new range with a bigger variant, and one with bacon, to celebrate it’s 50th anniversary. To counteract claims that McDonald’s encouraged an unhealthy lifestyle, they had started introducing academies to get kids into football in the late 90s. This initiative branched into them sponsoring the Olympic Games, The Euros and the World Cup, producing some ads that placed McDonald’s into the heart of the action, without touting food that was likely to give you a heart attack. A lovely pitchside hoarding during the World Cup encouraged the England team to up their game by simply changing the McDonald’s logo to say c’Mon laDs. In the States, this association with sport extended to a wonderful ad to promote the Brazilian World Cup with an augmented trick shots game using QR codes on french fries packets by demonstrating some amazing real life trick shots in Brazil itself. Today, McDonald’s is keeping up to speed with modern day life. The idea of delivery, which McDonald’s had rejected for so long, has now become an essential part of their offering and great ads are appearing in the press both at home and abroad. From the home of gastronomy, impressionistic ads appeared of cityscapes seen through rain spattered windows with the Golden Arches, prompting people to dial out for their McD’s rather than brave the elements. In the UK, the Golden Arches were utilised to plot the route from Vol 3/2022
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L[A] 6/2017
top: L[A] 1/2021, bottom: L[A] 4/2014
restaurant to home, lighting up the destination in its golden glow. In Canada, mobile phones were used to replicate fries and a stacked Big Mac to promote their mobile ordering service. The McCafé range is also hilariously represented with ads mocking the pretentiousness of coffee culture and excessive prices paid for barista-served artisan coffee. McDonald’s gives you good coffee, without the faff and none of the gimmicks. Now with the vegan movement rising in popularity, McDonald’s is venturing into the McPlant range, and it remains to be seen what other initiatives are in the pipeline. How will Big Mac and Whopper react in this modern-day world? Will there be a McPlant Big Mac? Will the Whopper reciprocate with a non-meat variant? Will they just continue to appeal to their loyalists with their trademark humor, like the brilliant Another Whopper on the Side of a Bus ad on a double decker outside the UK Parliament in the wake of the lies spread by (then Prime Minister) Boris Johnson to get Brexit done?
How will both brands adapt to embrace future challenges and react to unforeseen threats and how it affects their tone of voice in appealing to us with their comms? The McDonald’s brand was condemned for its slow response in pulling out of Russia in protest of the invasion of Ukraine. McDonald’s is still failing to make an impact on their carbon footprint, belching out more cubic tons globally than the whole of Norway. Will the World Cup in Qatar work for them in the depths of winter? Will the LGBT and human rights issues be overlooked in the name of the beautiful game? Planners and strategists will be chewing the fat about how to tackle these and future challenges, like sustainability, whilst introducing new vegan initiatives. Because the world of fast food demands fast thinking and nimble footedness in reacting to global issues.
Whopper will continue to goad and irritate Big Mac even though McDonald’s will treat it like an annoying insect and try to ignore it. Christmas is coming and, in the cost-of-living crisis, how will both brands represent their wares? Will they be doing their usual celebratory ads or go into a more penny-pinching mentality of tightening the purse strings?
Tony Malcolm, Previously CD of McDonald’s at Leo Burnett UK and ECD of McDonald’s at DDB Chicago. Presently freelance creative director and senior copywriter.
Lürzer’s Archive
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Client: Weight Watchers Austria Foodstyling: Charlotte Cerny
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
Archive × 20
L[A] 6/2002, Proximity BBDO, Brussels
L[A] 6/2003, AMV BBDO, London L[A] 1/2006, Absolut Vodka / in-house, New York
Lürzer’s Archive
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As we look to the future of food and drink advertising, we thought it would be interesting to see what’s been influencing you most in the past two decades. So here are some of the most searched for print ads in our archive from 2002 to 2022.
L[A] 1/2005, DLKW Lowe, London
L[A] 1/2004, CLM BBDO, Paris
L[A] 1/2005, Lowe Pirella, Milan Vol 3/2022
200–201
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
L[A] 2/2007, TBWA\Chiat\Day, New York
L[A] 4/2008, AMV BBDO, London
Lürzer’s Archive
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ARCHIVE × 20
L[A] 6/2010, Creature, Seattle
L[A] 2/2011, They, Amsterdam
Vol 3/2022
202–203
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
L[A] 6/2011, Kolle Rebbe, Hamburg
L[A] 6/2012, Abbott Mead Vickers (AMV) BBDO, London
Lürzer’s Archive
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ARCHIVE × 20
L[A] 1/2010, Ogilvy & Mather, Johannesburg
L[A] 4/2011, BBDO, Santiago de Chile
L[A] 3/2012, Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai L[A] 1/2013, adam&eveDDB, London
Vol 3/2022
204–205
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
L[A] 1/2015, Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai
L[A] 3/2015, Young & Rubicam (Y&R), Milan
Lürzer’s Archive
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ARCHIVE × 20
L[A] 6/2014, DDB, Budapest
L[A] 6/2014, McCann Erickson, Istanbul
L[A] 2/2016, Africa, São Paulo
L[A] 6/2017, LOLA MullenLowe, Madrid
Vol 3/2022
206–207
GUY JOST FOTOGRAFIE www.guyjost.ch
YANNICK SCHMIDT FOTODESIGN
YANNICKSCHMIDT.COM
gregoryreidphoto.com
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
L[A] 2/2016, The Secret Little Agency, Singapore
L[A] 4/2018, Africa, São Paulo Lürzer’s Archive
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ARCHIVE × 20
L[A] 2/2017, Arnold, Boston
L[A] 2/2019, BBDO Proximity, Dusseldorf L[A] 1/2022, VML, New York
Vol 3/2022
212–213
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
L[A] 3/2019, BBDO, Guayaquil
L[A] 5+6/2021, Mullenlowe Delta, Guiayaquil
Lürzer’s Archive
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ARCHIVE × 20
L[A] 5+6/2021, MullenLowe SSP3, Bogotá
L[A] 2/2022, Leo Burnett, Milan
Vol 3/2022
214–215
303.249.4112 hello@chadchisholmcreative.com chadchisholmcreative.com
PHOTOGR A P H Y + MOT I O N
E : I N F O @ L E S L I EG R O W. C O M W: L E S L I EG R O W. C O M I G : @ L E S L I EG R O W
Represented by Marianne Campbell Associates marianne@mariannecampbell.com 415 433 0353
annabellebreakey.com
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
…and some of our editor’s favourites
L[A] 6/2010, Prolam / Y&R, Santiago de Chile
L[A] 6/2013, Grey, Barcelona Lürzer’s Archive
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ARCHIVE × 20
L[A] 6/2010, DHM, London
L[A] 4/2014, Publicis, São Paulo
L[A] 2/2014, DraftFCB, Hamburg
L[A] 5/2013, BBDO Proximity, Singapore Vol 3/2022
OUR EDITOR’S FAVOURITES
222–223
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
L[A] 4/2013, BETC, Paris
L[A] 2/2014, Ruf Lanz, Zurich
Lürzer’s Archive
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ARCHIVE × 20
OUR EDITOR’S FAVOURITES
L[A] 3/2013, Pace, Lansing, Michigan
L[A] 2/2014, Santo, Buenos Aires
Vol 3/2022
224–225
JANICE MOSES
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
L[A] 6/2013, DDB, Auckland
L[A] 6/2014, Abbott Mead Vickers (AMV) BBDO, London
Lürzer’s Archive
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ARCHIVE × 20
L[A] 2/2014, Arnold, Boston
L[A] 6/2014, Leo Burnett, Sydney
L[A] 2/2015, Raffinaderiet, Copenhagen
L[A] 2/2015, LOLA, Madrid Vol 3/2022
OUR EDITOR’S FAVOURITES
232–233
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
ARCHIVE × 20
OUR EDITOR’S FAVOURITES
L[A] 4/2015, Herezie, Paris
L[A] 4/2015, Lowe Open, Bangkok Lürzer’s Archive
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LAURIE FRANKEL
REPRESENTED BY
DS REPS
NY 917 407 4292 LA 626 441 2224 SF 310 880 5529
Gareth Morgans Photographer & Director www.processphotography.com
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
ARCHIVE × 20
OUR EDITOR’S FAVOURITES
L[A] 4/2016, BBDO, Dusseldorf
Lürzer’s Archive
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FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
L[A] 3/2016, Abbott Mead Vickers (AMV) BBDO, London
L[A] 3/2017, Tiger Beer, in-house, New York
Lürzer’s Archive
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ARCHIVE × 20
OUR EDITOR’S FAVOURITES
L[A] 1/2017, VSA Partners, Chicago
L[A] 6/2017, The Community, London
Vol 3/2022
240–241
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
ARCHIVE × 20
OUR EDITOR’S FAVOURITES
L[A] 4/2018, DM9DDB, São Paulo
L[A] 3/2018, DDB, Chicago Lürzer’s Archive
L[A] 4/2018, Suntory Limited, in-house, Osaka The issue the work originally appeared in is noted. This information and full credits at luerzersarchive.com
@STANLEYS_POST
@STANLEYS_POST
STANLEYSPOST.COM
STANLEYSPOST.COM
amueller.com
ELIZABETH POJÉ + ASSOCIATES
vijey.studio
ELIZABETH@ELIZABETHPOJE.COM
310 487 7659
ELIZABETHPOJE.COM
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
L[A] 6/2019, Gallegos United, Los Angeles
L[A] 2/2018, Grey, Toronto
Lürzer’s Archive
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ARCHIVE × 20
OUR EDITOR’S FAVOURITES
L[A] 2/2018, Thingy, London
L[A] 3/2017, Big Al’s Creative Emporium, London
L[A] 3/2019, David The Agency, Miami
Vol 3/2022
248–249
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
L[A] 3+4/2020, Dentsu, Tokyo
L[A] 5+6/2020, We Are Social, Milan
Lürzer’s Archive
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ARCHIVE × 20
OUR EDITOR’S FAVOURITES
L[A] 3/2020, TBWA, London
L[A] 1/2020, David The Agency, Miami
L[A] 1/2021, Grupo Gallegos, Long Beach
Vol 3/2022
250–251
FOOD + DRINK SPECIAL
It’s an extraordinary moment for the food and drink markets. Rather than just their taste buds, consumers are increasingly thinking about the impact on the planet of their choices. This trend will drive creativity in a more purposeful direction, whether it’s for a brand of everyday chips or a bottle of luxury vodka. Where is it made, how is it made, is it packaged responsibly, are the ingredients grown sustainably, how will it affect my health, is the company selling it a ‘good’ business? These and other questions are ones you and your clients will increasingly have to answer. Your challenge is to answer them in the most entertaining, creative and persuasive way possible. Are you up for it?
How’s your appetite?
Lürzer’s Archive Special Report
LÜRZER’S ARCHIVE SPORTS + FITNESS Cover: Photographer Tessa Traeger info@tessatraeger.com tessatraeger.com
FOOD+ DRINK
Lürzer’s Archive
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