日本マクドナルド | 特別じゃない、しあわせな時間。 | 2024
No Dialogue, Just 20 Seconds. Here's Why It Won the Grand Prix / McDonald's Japan "Not Special, Just Happy Moments"
No dialogue, 20 seconds long, and just the folk song "Akatonbo" playing. That's all there is to this video—and it's been watched over 100 million times worldwide. Nothing really happens, yet something about it hits you. That's the kind of ad this is.
The problem
This was released online in 2023 to promote McDonald's "Potato & Nugget" late-night menu. McDonald's has used plenty of famous celebrities in its TV commercials over the years, but this time it took a completely different approach, choosing illustrated animation instead.
The insight
Rei Hanada of Dentsu, who handled the planning and copy, arrived at this theme after a realization about the time people spend eating McDonald's together: "In the moment, you don't really think of it as anything special, but looking back, it's actually a small, quietly happy kind of time." For the high school students episode, he focused on how "close friends who are comfortable with each other often don't talk that much," and for the family episode, on everyday details like a child's drawing stuck on the fridge.
The idea
There are six 20-second episodes: parent and child, two male high school students, monsters, a couple, a father and child, and someone spending time alone. There's no dialogue and no narration—just footage of people with their takeout food, like a GIF animation you could watch on loop. The monsters episode throws in a playful twist, with a vampire and Frankenstein's monster enjoying potato and nuggets while out for a drive.
What happened
The video racked up over 100 million views worldwide in just four days, and even got attention when Elon Musk gave it a "like." It went on to win the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Award and the Grand Prix in the Film Category B (Online Film) at the 2024 ACC TOKYO CREATIVITY AWARDS.
Afterthought
Twenty seconds, and nothing happens. And yet the whole world stopped to watch. Long, tear-jerking commercials are a classic approach, but this one feels like a win achieved by subtraction—by taking things away rather than adding them. It made me realize just how lovable you can make something as ordinary as taking a bite of McDonald's.
Awards
- ACC Grand Prix 2024
