for Laquan McDonald
To:________Sr. Marketing Manager, McDonald’s Corporation white folks
From:______Creative Director why does it matter?
Date:_______November 25, 2015
Subject:_____McDonald’s Holiday Campaign, Urban Demo
As always, we chose from many other options. Our core concept is “black reality”– think of a reality TV segment shot from inside a motor vehicle, capturing the subject in real time and real terms with a grittier lens. You are going for young. Urban. These people are mobile. They move quickly. They want convenience and expedience. They prize value above all: bang for buck, a buck for a bang. That’s the play for this particular market. There needs to be some authenticity here as to what is presented and who is represented.
Here’s the scene, seen through dash cam:
____Nuclear, African-American family: Mama (early 30s). Daddy (early 30s). Son,
____Baby Boy (eight years old). Daughter, Baby Girl (five years old).
_______She had Baby Boy young. Teen mom. Got taken away when he was _______three. State-warded. Foster-homed. Great-grandmothered. Went back.
_______Boyfriend-abused. Taken away again.
____Daddy drives while Mama applies some make-up using the visor mirror. for
____legal council Baby girl rides backseat with Baby Boy’s body, making up songs to
____entertain keep herself from crying. Baby Boy looks longingly out the window
____dead when the first bullet hits him in his stomach growls and breaks Baby Girl’s
____rhythm, one one-sixteenth note. Baby Boy catches glimpse of the iconic golden
____arches light in the distance and promptly asks to go to McDonald’s, sparking
____the following dialogue:
_______Mama The Mayor’s Office: “do you have McDonald’s money?”
_______Baby Boy: “I got four dollars I been saving.”
_______Daddy: “Well, that’s enough for all of us.”
_______Baby Girl: “bada bop bop baaa”
____(cut away to still shots of various Dollar Menu items and special promotions)
____for the evening news: video frames, Van Dyke’s mug shot, the Burger King
____where security footage of the shooting was boosted from.
We look forward to hearing your feedback on the concept! Stay woke!
–Management