Eighth Bit of Media—The Golden Arch-Enemy

I'm not normally one for McDonald's—I'm proud to say I've never entered one of their restaurants, and hope I never will—but I'll give them credit for some excellent advertising. The company has created  a billboard that doubles as a sundial, which tells time from six in the morning until noon. Each hour is marked by a different food on their breakfast menu, and the billboard is stated as trying to keep McDonald's ahead in the breakfast market. (Read more here.) But honestly, for all their creativity, I don't think the billboard is an effective means of advertising.

It definitely appeals to potential customers' needs for aesthetic sensations, since its color and arrangement are unusual but not too strange to be alienating and the shadow cast by the M is perfectly orchestrated to look appealing.

The background of the billboard is a pleasing, nonaggressive red. It is not so bright as to offend the eyes, but is still bright enough to catch the attention. And as a primary color, it brings viewers' memories subconsciously back to their childhoods. The food products are mostly red, yellow, and brown, colors people associate with food. And the items are placed in a curve that leads the eye to the M, so that the genius of the sundial is wasted on no one.

And the shadow only adds to the beauty of the ad. The shadow created by the M falls exactly on each food item when it should and looks perfectly undistorted when it reaches noon. This shows an attention to detail and a dedication to aesthetics that I really appreciate.

But even though the food items are listed on the billboard, as is the logo, twice, I cannot shake the feeling that this billboard has nothing to do with McDonald's. They aren't a sundial business, after all. And even if their food speaks for itself and appeals to our physiological need to eat, we don't know the prices, the atmosphere, the waiting time to receive a meal, or even the location. Not one thing about the dining experience, just giant pictures of food and a clock that only lasts six hours.

Maybe I'm being too harsh on McDonald's. Who goes there for the atmosphere? But the article mentions that this billboard was a response to the news that Starbucks and Wendy's are both unveiling breakfast foods. With all this competition, shouldn't McDonald's be describing its better traits and not just saying, "look at me"?

It really seems to be using no other techniques than shock value and aesthetic appeal. And I really don't like that.