McDonald's brings back its eyebrow raising ad for Christmas

McDonald's unveiled a brilliant ad directed by Edgar Wright earlier this year, managing to get the message across without even mentioning the name of the brand – or showing the logo. All it took was a series of repeatedly raised eyebrows to evoke the golden arches. The ad was such a hit that it's little wonder McDonald's has brought it back for Christmas.

The ad sees people departing various Christmas obligations early – from dull office parties to the annual nativity – to rush out for a McDonald's. And even if it might have one of the best logos of all time, McDonald's doesn't even need to show it – by now, we know what those raised eyebrows mean.

As before, the ad was created by Leo Burnett UK. “The beginning of 2023 saw us turn a simple raise of the of eyebrows into an invitation to Maccies," James Millers and Andrew Long, creative partners at Leo Burnett UK, said in a press release. "So, what better way to finish the year than bringing this iconic action back for Christmas? This feel good campaign hopes to spread some joy, by celebrating all of those important moments of release during the festive period.”

The piece is a follow-up to the Edgar Wright-directed Raise Your Arches campaign that we saw at the start of the year. That first ad introduced the concept in a slightly more explicit way, with an office employee also sketching the McDonald's logo on a sticky note to make sure we understood the reference. No such explaining is needed third time around – proof if proof be needed that the campaign is a hit.