What you still probably do not know about this successful McDonald’s ad

Still can’t get over that controversial and viral McDonald’s commercial featuring the 1980s loveteam Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion? The social media has been flooded with posts in reaction to the online ad up to now. Most of which are raves from the ex-loveteam’s followers (the titos and titas, even lolos and lolas).

As of press time, the online video ad has generated over 8 million views on Facebook and more than 1.5 million on YouTube. In terms of engagement, it has gathered over 362,000 likes and almost 28,0000 comments. Here are more information about how that successful ad was put up:


The ad was filmed in an actual McDonald’s store in Bulacan.
Contrary to the usual practice in the industry of shooting a commercial inside a studio, the team behind the ad decided to shoot the video in an actual McDonald’s store in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan on February 1. For days now (after the release of the ad), many netizens have been taking selfies while sitting in the actual table where the ex-couple shot their ad.

 

The team was not able to immediately shoot the ad.
In an Instagram post by Concepcion featuring a behind-the-scene photo from the actual shoot, the 52-year-old TV and movie actor revealed that the team had to wait for a few minutes to actually start a take as numerous fans and bystanders took turns taking photos and videos of them. Meanwhile, entertainment columnist Ricky Lo reported in his February 10 column in The Philippine Star that the ex-couple obviously felt awkward before the actual take, according to his sources. However, Concepcion and Cuneta got cozier with each other after warming up.

The video shoot lasted two hours.
It was February 1 when the team gathered to shoot the ad without any announcement or hint about it. The intent was obviously to surprise the public especially the followers of the Sharon-Gabby loveteam, who were somehow dismayed when talks about a possible movie reunion between the estranged couple failed in 2017. The online version of the ad lasts 1 minute and 28 seconds. The TV commercial version lasts shorter but includes more shots of Chicken McDo and French Fries.

McDonald’s hired long-term partner-ad agency Leo Burnett Manila for the ad.
Ad agency Leo Burnett Manila executed the carefully ideated campaign for the brand’s famous Chicken McDo and French Fries. The ad was produced by Steve Vargas and directed by Joel Limchoc. Leo Burnett Manila has been taking care of McDonald’s campaigns since late 1990s. Prior to that, the company had entrusted its campaigns to McCann Worldgroup Philippines, which now executes Jollibee’s ads.

The ad was released online a day ahead of schedule.
The McDonald’s store where the commercial was filmed was operating as usual while the shoot was ongoing. This was the reason several stolen shots of what was supposed to be a top-secret inevitably leaked online. The buzz created prompted the management to release the video a day ahead of schedule, on Friday, February 9. There was also a special reason why it was released online at exactly 10:20 a.m.—the numbers 10 and 20 were supposedly important for the ex-couple as those were their codes for each other during their teen years, when they were trying to conceal their relationship especially from Cuneta’s strict father.