Ad of the week: McCain Home Fries

by Stratton Craig

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McCain has taken its billboard advertising to the next level by craftily replacing words in infamous quotes.

The brand celebrates its 5% fat chips by quoting famous characters such as John McClane (…McCain?). His famous line from the Die Hard films has been re-mastered to fit the company’s campaign with “Yippee fries yay!” (Expletives removed). We think they missed a trick by not including “mother fryer” at the end.

A popular song from Disney film ‘Songs of the South’ has also undergone a transformation. “Chip-a-dee-doo-dah” mixes the essence of the light and happy song with the joy of McCain chips.

While this is rather cute, some people might not be too comfortable imagining an oversized chip strolling down the road singing and wiggling its butt-y.

By associating the brand with well-known phrases and lyrics, McCain instantly achieves mass-market appeal. And since parodies are effective at raising a laugh, it’s a smart move on McCain’s part to join the ranks of brands making use of it as a marketing tool. It’s gone for funny and light-hearted, rather than risqué a la Marmite or self-effacing brands like Go Compare.

Humour in marketing can be very difficult to pull off, but McCain manages to keep it simple with a few light chuckles. Only one more thing from us: Happy Fryday!