Apparently there’s not much difference between a supermodel and a McDonald’s cheeseburger — both rely on stylists and photographers to look their best.
A popular YouTube video which has racked up more than two million views since it was posted this week takes viewers behind the scenes of a burger print ad for before and after juxtapositions.
It’s part of a McDonald’s initiative called “Our Food, Your Questions” which has executives responding to direct queries from consumers, such as whether the fast-food giant uses 100 per cent beef and real eggs in its offerings.
“Behind the scenes at a McDonald’s photo shoot” was triggered by an Isabel M. from Toronto who asked “Why does your food look different in the advertising than what’s in the store?”
A camera follows McDonald’s Canada director of marketing Hope Bagozzi as she buys a quarter pounder with cheese and takes it to the company’s creative agency for a side-by-side comparison with a burger made from scratch by a food stylist.
“That (purchased) burger was made in about a minute or so, the process we go through on the average shoot takes several hours,” said Bagozzi of the procedure she refers to as the “finessing of the product.”
The stylist uses the same ingredients employed in the restaurants — beef patty, ketchup, mustard, onions, bun, pickles — but assembles them as if dressing a catwalk model.
After melting the cheese with a blow dryer, he smoothes it with a palette knife and uses a syringe to apply the condiments. After the shoot, an imaging tech enhances the colour and removes indentations from the bun.
The result is a glossy looking burger that seems almost twice the size of the store bought version.
“The less amount of retouching that we do to something the less perfect it looks, but actually it looks more appetizing and more convincing,” said Bagozzi.
“The box that our sandwiches come in keep the sandwiches warm, so it creates a bit of a steam effect, and it does make the bun contract a little bit."
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I know, I know. "But
ladypolitik, DUH! I knew that." I know you did. But posting it anyway because found it a little fascinating that McDonald's is utilizing a sort of -- idk, reverse-psychology? -- to counter the understandable cynicism that informs assessments of airbrush marketing.
The secret isnt so much that there's priming involve, clearly, but more so in how they go about doing so in the 21-century. For some reason I presumed a lot more start-to-finish photoshoop'ing was involved, not the tedious arrangement of actual ingredients.
A popular YouTube video which has racked up more than two million views since it was posted this week takes viewers behind the scenes of a burger print ad for before and after juxtapositions.
It’s part of a McDonald’s initiative called “Our Food, Your Questions” which has executives responding to direct queries from consumers, such as whether the fast-food giant uses 100 per cent beef and real eggs in its offerings.
“Behind the scenes at a McDonald’s photo shoot” was triggered by an Isabel M. from Toronto who asked “Why does your food look different in the advertising than what’s in the store?”
A camera follows McDonald’s Canada director of marketing Hope Bagozzi as she buys a quarter pounder with cheese and takes it to the company’s creative agency for a side-by-side comparison with a burger made from scratch by a food stylist.
“That (purchased) burger was made in about a minute or so, the process we go through on the average shoot takes several hours,” said Bagozzi of the procedure she refers to as the “finessing of the product.”
The stylist uses the same ingredients employed in the restaurants — beef patty, ketchup, mustard, onions, bun, pickles — but assembles them as if dressing a catwalk model.
After melting the cheese with a blow dryer, he smoothes it with a palette knife and uses a syringe to apply the condiments. After the shoot, an imaging tech enhances the colour and removes indentations from the bun.
The result is a glossy looking burger that seems almost twice the size of the store bought version.
“The less amount of retouching that we do to something the less perfect it looks, but actually it looks more appetizing and more convincing,” said Bagozzi.
“The box that our sandwiches come in keep the sandwiches warm, so it creates a bit of a steam effect, and it does make the bun contract a little bit."
Source
___________
I know, I know. "But
ladypolitik, DUH! I knew that." I know you did. But posting it anyway because found it a little fascinating that McDonald's is utilizing a sort of -- idk, reverse-psychology? -- to counter the understandable cynicism that informs assessments of airbrush marketing.The secret isnt so much that there's priming involve, clearly, but more so in how they go about doing so in the 21-century. For some reason I presumed a lot more start-to-finish photoshoop'ing was involved, not the tedious arrangement of actual ingredients.
One time I ordered a chicken sandwich from there and they didn't even put the chicken on it.
At least the food they are advertising has to be real. Like Orange Juice in the photo or commercial has to be real, but if there's an orange it could be fake. Since the ad is about orange juice. Makes ya wonder how long that Tropicana orange has been sitting around. Must be fun when it comes to shooting ice cream under hot lights (when before the law was passed, they used Shortening).
Why isn't Photoshopped used more instead? Is that a law as well?
But yeah, they use some really ridiculous tricks for food styling, like fake ice cubes that never melt for drinks, and misters to make the glass look like it's been sweating. I've been told you're still supposed to have 90% of the finished product straight from the camera, though.
Edited at 2012-07-01 07:46 am (UTC)
I say some things different than people in the states, because my mum is Australian, so I picked it up from her.
But this one time at college, I met the parents of this girl from Minnesota and I had a rather long conversation with them, and they totally said "aboot" so I guess it happens in the states too? But Minnesota is right by the border, so perhaps it's the mid-western border states? I dunno. It's fascinating, though!
(I love you, Jen, but you DID.)
I'm wondering, and I could be entirely wrong, but if we're saying it with a short u, and others are saying it with a more of a OW sound?
They also used lipstick to hide the white/green spots on strawberries.
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