OK, people — that’s a (zesty) McWrap

Advertising is different in the digital age

In the ever-changing landscape of advertising, anything goes — even a seemingly never-ending video of a breakfast sandwich being prepared.

Recently, McDonald’s posted a four-hour video on YouTube featuring continuous loops of bacon frying, tomatoes being sliced, lettuce drying and other types of food preparation — all designed to draw eyeballs to its new Zesty BLT More-Ning McWrap.

The fast-food giant doesn’t really expect consumers to watch all four hours of the content, but it does hope you’ll do a double-take and possibly have a good laugh.

With people spending more time online and being inundated with all types of content, McDonald’s says it’s focusing more of its marketing efforts on developing unconventional digital advertisements that will resonate with the right target — in this case, millennials.

“What we want to do with the video is play with it on social (media),” says McDonald’s senior advertising manager, Melanie Courtois.

She explains the video has “a few fun facts throughout,” which consumers can identify on Facebook and Twitter contests in exchange for gift certificates.

“That’s how we’re trying to leverage that four hours,” says Courtois.

Liz Dunn, chief executive at brand strategy consultant Talmage Advisors in New York City, says in today’s media landscape, most retailers, brands and restaurants are having a difficult time reaching consumers.

That means companies need to try altogether different advertising ploys to influence consumers’ purchasing behaviour in ways that reflect how news and information is increasingly being transmitted and shared via social media.

“Consumers are very easily distracted. They’re constantly on their phones and really pretty numb to traditional marketing efforts, so it just becomes background noise,” says Dunn.

“So I think a lot of brands are trying to rise above the fray and capture consumers’ attention with more urgent calls to action or some sort of event, or something that really breaks through the rest of the noise.”