McDonald’s Finally Gives The Big Mac, Its Greatest Celeb, An Official Autograph
By Mikelle Leow, 12 Dec 2023
Image courtesy of NORD DDB
McDonald’s in Sweden is finally giving the iconic Big Mac a signature taste of fame, quite literally, with its very own autograph. Despite its global renown, the Big Mac, a staple since 1967, had never had a personal signature—until now.
With the help of hundreds of thousands of devoted fans and the magic of artificial intelligence, and conceptualization by advertising agency NORD DDB, this edible superstar now boasts an autograph as unique as its taste.
Image courtesy of NORD DDB
The fast-food giant called upon eaters to contribute their vision of what the burger’s autograph should embody. An astounding number of 256,000 concepts were received through the McDonald’s app, with each participant receiving a free Big Mac in return.
The proposed signatures were then synthesized using Dynamic Time Warp AI algorithms, which found the average of all the submissions to form a singular, distinctive autograph.
Video screenshot via McDonald’s Sweden
“Our icon Big Mac doesn’t need much of an introduction. I think it’s as well-known as McDonald’s itself,” remarks Susanne Wahlberg, brand manager at McDonald’s Sweden. “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.”
Due to the obvious challenge of a burger physically signing its autograph, an industrial robot lent a helping hand. Outfitted with a 3D-printed hand designed for this specific task, it performs the actual signing, bringing a high-tech twist to the traditional notion of autographs.
Petter Dixelius, creative director at NORD DDB, highlighted the role reversal in this scenario. “Normally, it is the fans who ask the star for an autograph. Because this star is a burger, we must do the opposite.”
It’s fitting that the Big Mac finally gets its own signature, especially one crafted from the handwriting of its admirers, Dixelius elaborates.
Video screenshot via McDonald’s Sweden
The initiative not only values the input of fans but is also set to honor them. The top 100 contributors, determined via the McDonald’s app data, will receive exclusive Big Mac portraits autographed by the robot.
Meanwhile, the first signed Big Mac photo is destined for the world’s largest private autograph collection.
[via NORD DDB, images courtesy]