d expósito & partners HOT creative for the summer.

Judging from the work developed for its McDonald’s client, d expósito & partners is becoming a creative force in the U.S. Hispanic market. Its most recent work is a visual celebration of summer in New York, using animation techniques to the tune of fast-paced reggaeton music. The message is directed to NY’s Tri-State area consumers. It will be broadcast on Spanish and English media with two original versions in both languages. This reflects a new industry trend which sees Hispanic agencies tackling work that is not necessarily limited to Spanish-speaking audiences.

“We were looking for a feel-good, energizing approach to summer,” said Kenneth Ebo, director U.S. Marketing for McDonald’s New York. “An approach that would marry the world of fun that consumers tend to associate with our brand and the easygoing spirit of summer during which we wanted to highlight ten of our Extra Value Meals.”

In a unique :30 TV spot, titled “McDonald’s: My Summer Place,” television viewers are treated to an almost attraction park-like, quick and inviting spectacle created through lively, studio-generated 2-dimensional and 3-D images of vibrant city life, beaches and lakes, picnics and parks, in which the skyscrapers of Gotham, monumental bridges and the iconic Statue of Liberty seamlessly merge with images of balmy, summery moments in suburbia. These ebullient images moving to the cadence of reggaeton produce a total effect of well-being, a visual playground of the mind in which people, ten McDonald’s Extra Value Meals, plenty of brand signage and ostensible product integration seem to belong as one.

THE STYLE

“We had great ambitions for this spot and our starting point was the aesthetic of the children’s pop-up book,” said Jorge Ulla, partner/chief ideation officer at d expósito & partners. “The kind of pop-up book that surprises your eye as you open it and discover its unfolding tridimensionality.”

“The agency team wanted an explosion of color to infuse the story with a sense of “I’m lovin’ it” freshness and rhythm and that special summer sensation that something good may be about to happen,” added Ulla.

THE 3-D LOOK

d expósito & partners engaged Nomad Pixel whose executive producer Denisse Norman and animation director Santiago Idelson Pattera worked closely with Ulla and Pablo Villegas, senior art director at the agency. “While the spot may seem deceivingly easy, it took director Idelson Pattera over 100 hours of hard work and technical proficiency,” explained Villegas.

THE MUSIC

For the music, the agency wanted an urban sound, edgy yet pleasant, and that was where reggaeton provided the opportunity of telling the copy points musically. Lyrics were provided by Cynthia Mejías and Ulla. “Then we tapped Tony Hernández of 2610 Entertainment,” said Fernando Fernández, partner/chief client service officer. “Tony put together a team formed by music composer Ruben López (aka Roc), rapper-singer Daniel Cortés (aka Chavito), and the voices of José Aquino (aka Zay-Zay) as announcer and Nidia Pérez as singer, producing a sound that is as cool as a summer musical hit,” concluded Fernández.

OUT-OF-THE-BOX IDEAS

Alluding to the opening sequence of “McDonald’s: My Summer Place,” in which a McDonald’s restaurant in the shape of a pop-up box opens up, Kenneth Ebo concluded: “This is a perfect example of an agency coming up with out-of-the-box thinking.”

“McDonald’s: My Summer Place” and “McDonald’s: Mi Casa de Verano” will have extensive media rotation both in Spanish and English versions in the New York / Tri-State area, accompanied by radio and print executions.

The d expósito & partners campaign for the New York Tri-State Area represents one of the various communications efforts on behalf of over 600 McDonald’s restaurants which comprise the region.

Agency Team:

Fernando Fernández, Chief Client Service Officer / Partner
Verónica Payán González, Managing Partner
Beatriz Usuga, Client Service Supervisor
Melisa Cadio, Assistant Client Service Associate

Jorge Ulla, Chief Ideation Officer / Partner
Pablo Villegas, Senior Art Director
Cynthia Mejías, Concept Writer and Lyrics
Denise Melo, Producer