A minimalist new campaign for McDonald's uses no logo or brand signature and invites us to decipher which brand it refers to – and it's not very difficult. Playing on the recognisability of the fast-food chain's brand and products, the series of four posters teases the opening of a new McDonald's restaurant in France by showing blown-up 70-pixel abstract images of the most famous items from its menu.
"Guess who's coming to your town?" reads the only copy in the posters, while knowing that there can be little doubt (for more ad inspiration, see our list of the best print adverts of all time).
The agency TBWA\Paris has previous form for using McDonald's phenomenal recognisability in minimal advertising campaigns that need little branding to identify themselves. Its latest effort goes further, showing how widely McDonald's colours and products are recognised, even at this abstract level.
It's not much of a mystery, but if you're still wondering, the images above show a Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, Cheeseburger, and French fries.
Devinez qui arrive dans votre ville ? 👀@McDoFr_Newsroom pic.twitter.com/cEkHABh8WZJuly 6, 2021
The agency says the campaign "proves that the brand's products are well and truly anchored in pop culture". People have been correctly guessing "Le Big Mac" on the agency's Instagram post announcing the campaign, although @colin.jvo thought it looked like a "Minecraft dirt block".
To pick up some inspiration for your own branding, see our guide to the best branding books.
Meanwhile, if you're inspired to try your hand at creating your own poster, check out the subscription packages for Adobe Creative Cloud below.
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