A Japanese restaurant has got everyone talking after featuring a stripped-down version of Ronald McDonald with french fry pubes on an advertising billboard. And while it might seem this is an unconventional promotion for McDonald’s, it actually has nothing to do with the company.
- People were SERIOUSLY confused. When the photo went viral on Twitter earlier this month, people in the Western world were SERIOUSLY confused. Why would McDonald’s strip down their infamous red-haired clown and put fries in his briefs? Say what? Thankfully, the fast food giant hasn’t changed their approach to advertising THAT much.
- It’s an ad for Yotteba. Yotteba is a chain of Japanese izakayas, which is basically the equivalent of the local bar or pub where you go for some fries and a few drinks after a long day at work. There are tons of them around the Tokyo metro area, and Yotteba is known for its rather strange approach to advertising, so this is no surprise.
- It is, however, an ad for french fries. The Japanese text on the ad reads “Of course, we serve them in Yotteba’s original container” (もちろん酔っ手羽オリジナルものに入って提供です), according to Medium, along with the restaurant’s name. This is obviously an attempt at humor, meaning your fries will come on a plate or some other container rather than being served from a six-packed Ronald McDonald’s underwear.
- The Ronald McDonald on the ad is actually art. It’s a reworking of art created by NYC-based artist Wizard Skull, which is pretty awesome. You can see the original art on his Instagram page here and also check out his other awesome work while you’re there. The sad thing is that Yotteba used the art without asking the artist’s permission or without compensating him or even giving him credit, and that’s not cool.
- Yotteba is known for their “naked” ingredients. According to one Twitter user, the nearly-naked Ronald is meant to be a nod to the fact that they use fresh ingredients that aren’t mass-produced. “They are stressing that they make their fries from scratch on-site, not pre-processed like at McD’s,” the person wrote, according to the Daily Mail.
- Will his help them get business? Eh, who knows. If nothing else, it’s certainly an interesting way to promote your restaurant. Will it keep people from going to McDonald’s and instead encourage them to come to Yotteba? Eh, who knows. But at least it’s got people talking!
