How famous do your brands products have to be for them to be recognised without the traditional branding cues (like product detail or pack shot)? McDonald’s has been finding that out in OOH campaigns throughout the world. And now, in the Netherlands TBWA\NEBOKO has even removed colour.

The new outdoor campaign presents McDonald’s French Fries, Happy Meal, McFlurry and Chicken McNuggetsas shadows. They’re still instantly recognisable.

In the campaign’s four executions, the products are held up to the sun in familiar everyday settings, including a beach, a street and a sports field, allowing their shadows to become the hero of each image. The logo in the bottom-right corner is the only explicit McDonald’s branding.

There is no headline or additional explanation. Product recognition carries the entire idea.

“​​You have to be a little crazy not to show your product. But that’s exactly what we did. Because when even a shadow is enough for people to recognise it, you know you’ve created something truly iconic,” stated Els Dijkhuizen, CMO of McDonald’s Netherlands.

The campaign has been running across DOOH screens throughout the Netherlands.