[ad_1]
Arguably the world’s most famous burger, the McDonald’s Big Mac is a fast-food icon that probably rivals the celebrity status of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé in global relevance and awareness. So the McDonald’s team in Sweden decided to treat it like a celebrity and give it its own autograph, too, developed using fan-powered data and artificial intelligence.
Created in 1967, the burger has become one of the most common orders at McDonald’s locations all around the world. Therefore, the restaurant chain asked fans to help it create its first signature, with 256,000 responding by suggesting what they think the burger’s autograph would look like through their application, in exchange for a free Big Mac.
An AI algorithm called Dynamic Time Warp then used those suggestions to produce the signature, which was written using a robotic arm.
McDonald’s retained Swedish creative agency Nord DDB to create a campaign promoting the initiative, featuring the story of an avid autograph collector who is presented with the innovation.
“It’s fun that so many fans came together to create an autograph for their favorite burger. It turned out great, and I think it will be much appreciated by Big Mac connoisseurs in Sweden and the rest of the world,” said Susanne Wahlberg, brand manager at McDonald’s Sweden, in a statement.
The campaign will run through TV, digital out of home, audio, social media and influencer collaborations.
Petter Dixelius, creative director at Nord DDB told Adweek that as the burger had been previously portrayed as both an icon and a celebrity, it was time to evolve that perception further.
“Hopefully, the signed photographs will become a collectible among Big Mac fans,” he added.
A total of 100 fans who contributed to the creation of the autograph will be rewarded with portraits of the Big Mac and its new signature, with the first signed photo being donated to the world’s largest private autograph collection.
