McFail

By / November 25, 2008 /

McDonald’s is officially the king of phony. From the chubby-chested, hormonally-infused chickens from which they manufacture McNuggets all the way through the shamefully fake new campaign they’ve launched to push this sorry excuse for sustenance, they are bulldozing new boundaries of artificiality. If you were watching football this past Sunday, you already know what we’re referring to – the fowl-smelling “Nuggnuts” campaign that came clucking into your comfy home sanctuary – and crapped on your lap.

TV Spot #1: As opposed to trading bites of dessert cake, as traditionally observed, a joyful, newly-married couple of Nuggnuts instead has their entire wedding cake made of McNuggets – trading greasy nibbles of faux-chicken parts with one another. So stupid fake. TV Spot #2: A crazed Nuggnut rock star busts into the green room and is quickly calmed when he finds McNuggets (with plenty of barbecue sauce) awaiting him – those roadies finally got it right. So irritatingly fake.

Turns out, when you follow the accompanying web address in the spots out of sheer destructive anger to nuggnuts.com, you find an entire fake ass site dedicated to people who are simply beak-over-talons for McNuggets. It’s all part of McDonald’s campaign to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Chicken McNugget. And it’s the fakest bunch of fuckin’ baloney we’ve witnessed in recent memory.

The problem here is that they’re passing off these characters in the vignettes and on the site as real people. Instead of being obvious caricatures and making the campaign comedic, the tone is serious. McDonald’s wants you to believe people like this actually exist out there and feel this passion for their McNuggets of all things.

Oh, they’ve also picked out a few choice idiots (like the two below) who made the Nuggnut Hall of Fame – people you’d never aspire to be – who are real-life McNugget super fans. But mostly, the campaign is riddled with stories and characters that are supposed to be believable.

They’ve busted through the social media fabric, as well, by creating a Nuggnuts Facebook group where you can: “Connect with other Chicken McNuggets® fans, and share your love for dipping, popping, dunking, sharing and sneaking McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets®. Genuine Nuggnuts only please.” Who are they kidding with this fake bullshit? One of our favorite quotes from the Facebook group: “Finally a group I can feel at home being in. I love me some McNuggets. How about a short sleeve t-shirt that says I love McNuggets…like the magnet…that would be awesome.” We’re just guessing here, but we’d be willing to bet a juicy, flame-broiled BK Whopper that the only people in the Facebook group work at the agency who was involved in developing this atrocity (which appears to be GolinHarris with corporate headquarters in Chicago).

So, to all those poor birds who had their necks rung to make this fiddle-faddle fly, we say a prayer. And to all those poor chickens who let this campaign escape their coup, we say get some cahones already and push harder for great work against a client who truly needs strong agency direction right now. You could probably find an extra pair at the bottom of the McNuggets grinder.