The analysis of McDonald’s “Come as you are” advertisement

The analysis of McDonald’s “Come as you are” advertisement

Dóra Juhász

The “Come as you are” commercial was initiated by leading fast food company, McDonald’s, and was used in an outdoor campaign in France in 2010. The short text in the upper left corner of the advert is French for “Come as you are”. If we have a look at the overall style of the ad, we see a vibrant and colourful picture; these are general characteristics of McDonald’s ads. The brightness of the image creates perfect balance compared to the horrifying black and white villain from the movie Scream, sitting at the table.  The whole composition is carefully thought out: the telephone, a signature object from the movie, is right next to his tray and the young woman in the background is also holding her phone. Although the mouth part of the villain’s mask is in open position originally as well, in this setting it looks as though he is opening his mouth to take a bite of his Big Mac. The campaign also features other popular film characters, for example, Darth Vader, Cinderella or King Kong.

The catchphrase, “Come as you are”, in the upper corner is an important part of the advertisement as it makes the picture cohesive and meaningful. It is simple and short but carries the central message: whoever (or whatever) you are, you are always welcome at the company’s restaurants. Moreover this humorous, unreasonable setting takes away the frightfulness of the villain and creates a comic atmosphere that is entertaining for the viewer. Presumably, McDonald’s aim was to assure its customers that it is a place where all are accepted regardless of race, age or gender. The advertisement also tries to play on the fact that villains are mostly “active” at night which is not an issue at McDonald’s as most of their restaurants are open 24/7 so you will be served anytime you wish to pop in for a burger. The brand has always represented itself as tolerant and open-minded and this ad is no exception.

Interestingly, the “Come as you are” advertisements were subjects of various interpretations as not everyone seemed to agree with the company’s ambiguous message. Many argued that it gives people the impression that even monstrous slaughterers are welcome to their restaurants which, according to them, is not a pleasant concept.

Another key thing to examine is the target audience of this advertisement. If someone is not familiar with the film Scream then it will probably make no sense for “them”; so we can assume that the campaign’s targets are young and middle-age people who like to watch movies on a regular basis. By referring to a film that only a group of people knows, the ad is creating an emotional bond with the viewer. McDonald’s considers itself a non-discriminatory brand so it apparently wants to attract customers with the same values; if a person is not open-minded enough they might easily misinterpret this advertisement.