McDonalds Iced Coffee - Smart and Savvy Advertising
If you live in the US and you haven’t seen the latest McDonald’s Iced Coffee commercials on TV, its possible it hasn’t hit your market yet. Here in Southern California, a marketing campaign blitz is underway. See Premium Roast Iced Coffee at a Southern California McDonald’s …
If you’ve managed to miss the McDonald’s ad, have a look …
To be honest, McDonald’s is probably the last place I’m inclined to go for coffee, but I have to tell you, this marketing campaign strikes me as brilliant.
As part of a broader initiative to go further up-scale with gourmet coffee, McDonald’s introduced the McCafe stores over four years ago in the Australian market.
In the US market, McDonald’s began testing premium coffee and espresso-based drinks in approximately 800 stores over a year ago and has plans to expand the premium coffee products to nearly 14,000 US based stores across the country.
While the push to compete in the premium coffee market may seem like an inappropriate fit for McDonald’s, offering iced coffee is a no-brainer. According to the National Coffee Association, over 41 million Americans switch to iced coffee during the warmer months of the year. And for those who would prefer the more appealing ambiance of a Starbucks store over a McDonald’s, an iced coffee is more often a hit-and-run order-on-the-go purchase.
Which brings me to these latest iced coffee commercials on TV. Perfectly executed, in my opinion. Short and sweet, the ads capture the precise essence and appeal of the new iced coffee offering.
It’s only a 30 second spot, but notice a few clever techniques. The only branding is the logo on the cup, and the brief splash at the very end. There’s no shot or view of the inside or outside of the store, the line of customers, or the standard McDonald’s food counter. Just a refreshing iced coffee, on the go, from the frame of reference of the customer holding the iced coffee in her hand as she’s walking along the sidewalk, taking in the spring/summer scenery outdoors.
The music also strikes me as equally clever. A cheerful, appealing Latin sounding theme, sung by a female vocalist with a cool, sultry pleasing sound, and no one seems able to understand the lyrics. Clearly not English, maybe Portuguese, a-la some Brazilian samba music style, but it’s immediately catchy and deliberately drives the buzz marketing with people clamoring to decipher the words she’s singing.
The whole thing is appealing enough, without getting on your nerves, to sustain the relentless barrage of coverage underway. Not exactly the television version of the 2-second iced-coffee nano-ads (see Michael Stelzner’s blog) that popped up over the radio last year. These recent McDonald’s TV commercials are short bursts, delivered over and over again, sometimes twice within one or two minutes of each other. I haven’t timed the different versions with a stop-watch, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen some short 10-15 second versions, almost a sound-byte, playing 5 or 6 times within a 15 minute time frame. But they don’t seem to get on your nerves.
So, now I’m curious, and I’ll have to visit a McDonald’s soon to try one of the new iced coffees. From what I’m hearing, the feedback has been generally positive. People are saying the iced coffee drinks at McDonald’s are pretty good!
And the price is right. Looks like McDonald’s Iced Coffee may give Starbucks a run for the money. Available in five flavors, Hazelnut, Vanilla, Caramel, Sugar-Free Vanilla and Regular. As the ad says, “a large cup of cool, creamy bliss for just $1.79″ ….
And, if someone can translate the lyrics in the commercial, by all means, post a comment and solve the mystery … buh, duh, buh, buh, bao
Posted in Coffee Industry |
April 8th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
[…] Gourmet Coffee Zone - Daily Blog wrote an interesting post today on McDonalds Iced Coffee - Smart and Savvy AdvertisingHere’s a quick excerptThere’s no shot or view of the inside or outside of the store, the line of customers, or the standard McDonald’s food counter. … The music also strikes me as equally clever…. […]
April 8th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
There were McCafe stores in the U.S. in select markets as many as three years ago. All of them were shut down — called “learning experiments” rather than the failures that they were.
For three years, McDonald’s milked the “new!” press release about their specialty coffee efforts, all the while dismissing their noted café closures over the years.
April 11th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
The first version of this song included looking at some walking dogs. The dogs were then edited out of the second version. Why?
April 12th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
The song to the ice coffee commercial is so annoying and showing twice during commercial breaks makes it even worse!I find it appalling not appealing ! So I’ll pass on the product!
April 13th, 2008 at 12:01 am
the song says Give me sun give me give me love thats my motor buh, duh, buh, buh, bao
April 13th, 2008 at 8:22 am
@song hater,
yes, definitely a media blitz advertising barrage on television taking place.
You’re right, in some instances, they are placing two shorter 15 second sound-byte like blasts back to back.
I know how you feel, I’m usually completely annoyed by this in-your-face overdone type of marketing campaign.
Personal preferences, I find the music pleasing enough to my ear, so I’m not feeling completely annoyed.
And, I admit, I’m intrigued by McDonald’s attempt at going after this market,so it piques my interest.
Bottom line, we all vote with our wallet. That’s the way it should work.
Thanks for sharing.
Mark
April 13th, 2008 at 9:34 am
@teddyb,
yes, you’re absolutely right, Mcdonald’s has been pursuing this McCafe idea for years now.
I would agree, the separate McCafe store concept in the US has real challenges as the past failures you point out in the US seem to indicate.
But the McCafe like upgrades to the existing food stores seem to making headway.
A recent article in the Seattle PI claims that over 800 McDonald’s stores, about 6%, now sell the espresso drinks.
At a hefty upgrade and remodel investment for franchise owners as this Hilton Head store owner would indicate …
And, Western Washington participating franchises have put up this web page recently http://unsnobbycoffee.com
So the push seems to continue …
Full McCafe like espresso upgrades aside, it seems to me the “iced coffee” offering is easier and more straightforward. Not hard to get iced coffee right.
Thanks for the comments.
Mark
April 13th, 2008 at 9:56 am
@dog lover,
Yes, this earlier version has the brief shot of the walking dogs. I’ve already seen several different 30 second versions, and at least two different versions of the 10-15 second shorter spots. Most likely, just standard test marketing.
Already, a newer version of the commercial is being shown with a higher price of $1.89 in the Southern California market.
Mark
April 13th, 2008 at 10:00 am
@kenneth,
Hey, thanks for the translation. Is this Spanish?
I tried the reverse translation, I get …
In English “Give me sun, give me give me love, that’s my motor”
En español - “Déme el sol, déme me dan el amor, que es mi motor”
Is that about right?
Mark
April 18th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Does anyone know who is singing the song? I like her voice.
April 19th, 2008 at 8:41 am
The consensus seems to be pointing to Latin recording artist and song writer Natalia Lafourcade.
You can listen to a few sample tracks off one of her CDs at Natalia Lafourcade
(click on ‘listen to samples’ link on left hand side)
Hmmm, sounds like a possibility. What do you think?
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:30 pm
The music is from SolaZul, check it on iTunes!
April 24th, 2008 at 6:11 am
@nice+smooth
Sorry, don’t think the music in McDonald’s commercial is SolaZul.
But nice plug for SolaZul I suppose.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:08 am
no, not a plug mark harris.
music was written by d’arcy mcguire
vocals by irene torres
written for mcdonald’s
via the lodge, nyc (music house)
based off d’arcy’s
band solaZul which if i may…
is http://www.solazulsound.com
email d’arcy at the band site for more info
April 24th, 2008 at 8:57 am
@nice+smooth
Hey, I stand corrected. Checking out a few SolaZul tracks, it just didn’t quite sound like a match to me.
Thanks for the answer and good information!
any chance if we contact d’arcy, we can get a validation of the Spanish lyric translation?
Mark
April 24th, 2008 at 11:28 am
the band itself is very diverse in sound keeping a latin dub vibe. As for lyrics:
Irene posted this on YouTube:
Hello! Just wanted to say thank you for all the support. My name is Irene Torres and I am the singer on this ad that was created by the very talented D’arcy Mcguire. The track was written for this ad. The lyrics are as follows:
Dame sol
Dame tu luz
Dame amor
Eso es mi motor
April 24th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
@nice+smooth
Beautiful!
So, playing around a bit with a language translator (i don’t speak much Spanish), I get …
en Español:
déme sol.
déme tu luz.
déme amor.
eso es mi motor
to English:
give me sun.
give me your light.
give me love.
that is my engine.
see Irene’s comments on youtube
hey, thanks for your help @nice+smooth
Mark
April 25th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
As I’m watching the commercial I get the feeling that it’s from the coffee drinkers point of view and if so then that means at the end when the person drinks tha last bit they are drinking from their forehead or their eyes are in their neck. LOL!!!!! I think they missed that.
April 25th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Alicia,
You have me laughing. I hadn’t really noticed, but you’re right. The camera’s frame of reference is off. Yep, the eyes are in the neck.
Very funny!
Come to think of it, it’s sort of subliminal. There’s something edgy about viewing the scene through someone else’s eyes. It feels like something is askew, but you can’t put you’re finger on it. I love it!
Thanks for the amusing observation.
Mark
July 5th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Love the music…I think Irene should do a CD, maybe in conjunction with McDonald’s. Very cool summer sound. Thanks for all the leads on where to find this music. Julia
July 5th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
OK Mark,
BUT have you tried the iced coffee yet?
It is sickeningly sweet… they pump liquid sugar into them.
From their website: Iced Coffee– Regular
CONTAINS: MILK. Liquid Sugar: Sugar, water, potassium sorbate (preservative), citric acid. Ice.
I have been trying to get McDonald’s to change their POP advertising in-store and also on TV and radio spots to inform the consumer that they have SUGAR in them!
At one store I asked Q: “What if your Diabetic?” A: “If you were Diabetic you wouldn’t order something with sugar in it.” My reply was “Where does it tell you the iced coffee has sugar in it?”
Surprisingly they do NOT put sugar in their Iced Tea, so why put it in their iced coffee.
At The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Peet’s Coffee they do NOT put sugar in their iced coffee (they let the customer add sugar or milk themselves)
At Starbuck’s they are supposed to ask you if you want your iced coffee sweetened or unsweetened. My experience has been it depends on which barista takes your order. (Again like McDonald’s nothing in the store advises you that it is available unsweetened.)
July 6th, 2008 at 6:31 am
Jeffrey,
I must confess, I haven’t actually tried the McDonald’s iced coffee. I started this conversation around the TV commercial which I find to be an effective promotion and I was particularly enamored with Irene’s music and sound.
But you’re right, we don’t want to lose sight of the coffee itself. My preference for iced coffee is black, straight-up over ice (no milk, no cream, no sugar). And many single origins, blends and roast levels work great for iced coffee, not just the dark roasts.
Unfortunately, the majority of consumers probably do prefer the sweetened version with milk. Good point about iced tea, why not the same with iced coffee?
I’ve been successful ordering straight iced coffee without the sugar and milk at Starbucks (Pike Place Roast these days).
As you suggest, let the customer add the sugar and milk themseves is better yet. Haven’t tried the iced coffee ant Coffee Bean and Tea. Peet’s is great!
Thanks for your comments.
Mark
July 6th, 2008 at 6:47 am
@Julia,
I think you can find Irene Torres on a few CDs (session work, vocals, etc). I believe she is working on her first solo CD. Here’re a few pages at myspace ….
http://www.myspace.com/chicatorres
and
http://www.myspace.com/itorresmusic
Mark
July 6th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Thanks for replying so quickly Mark…
Earlier today I stopped by one of approx. 16 or so Starbuck’s located within 4 miles of me and in some Starbuck’s locations they put up a POP sign saying that if you order any size iced coffee unsweetened that it is only 5 calories. HOWEVER it is still up to the barista to ask you if you want it “sweetened” or “unsweetened”. If the barista forgets to ask you then it is SOP @ Starbuck’s to serve it sweetened!
Sorry if I ruined your blog with my comments…
FYI - Jack-in-the-Box now offers a new product line of iced coffee. SADLY it is only available “sweetened” with no POP signs stating that it is “sweetened”! They will NOT make the iced coffee UNSWEETENED!
I now step off my soapbox and wish you happy coffee drinking by going to a store that offers you a choice.
August 1st, 2008 at 2:41 pm
slightly off topic but just wanted to add that I posted a shot of Irene at a recent show in Toronto with links to the youtube and artist pages. cheers.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicesmooth/2722993725/
November 14th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
[…] My persistence with coffee. It gives me the jitters, yet I still subject myself to McDonald’s Caramel Ice Coffee. I may have been brainwashed by their advertising. […]