McDonald’s and Leo Burnett UK have been accused of plagiarism after art director Zed Anwar claimed the fast-food titan stole his ideas for its new out-of-home (OOH) campaign – a claim which both the agency and McDonald’s deny.
Forming part of McDonald’s summer sequel to its “Raise your Arches” campaign, the contentious creative features large roadside posters with personalised number plates that reference McDonald’s fast-food menu.
However, Anwar called the ad agency and client out.
He claims that the campaign ‘cloned’ the work he produced as part of a One Minute Brief initiative, which asked for posters advertising drive-throughs, something which the fast-food chain denies.
One Minute Briefs is an initiative that provides a platform for up-and-coming creatives to demonstrate their ability and talent, through creating responses to spoof brand briefs.
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In a LinkedIn post, the freelance creative posted his original designs and appealed to Leo Burnett UK:
“If you’re looking for more inspiration, I am looking for work and do these ideas all day long.”
“I am struggling as a creative to feed my kids and here is McDonald’s stealing my work,” Anwar said, before adding “I am in tears, as I have been knocking on agency doors for years now.
“Trying to deal with the constant rejection, has played on my mental health, as I know I am good enough, but rather than give me a work, even a trial they steal my work.”
However, McDonald’s leadership disagrees.
Louise Page, UK and Ireland head of consumer communications and partnerships, responded on LinkedIn, saying: “Leos have already been in touch directly to clarify this work was signed off almost a year ago, long before the DM to our socials.”
Responding to a request for comment, a spokesperson from Leo Burnett told Campaign: “Our team came up with this idea in response to an ongoing creative brief. It was presented internally in January and to the client in February.”
It is not the first time the fast-food giant has been accused of creative plagiarism of an up-and-coming artist’s work. In 2016, McDonald’s faced a huge backlash after a Hampshire-based digital artist, Cyriak, accused the brand of copying his video, ‘Cows & Cows & Cows’, without paying or acknowledging him.
Marketing Beat has contacted McDonald’s for comment.
