McDonald’s Can Get Away with Leaving its Name Out of Campaigns—But Can Your Brand?

Something was missing in McDonalds’ recent OOH campaign—namely, its brand name.

• Agency Leo Burnett London’s latest OOH posters for Mickey D’s depict only half a golden “M” arch, rather than a full McDonald’s logo or name.
• And in September, TBWA\Paris also produced name-free McDonald’s OOH installations—this time opting for digital billboards with huge bites taken out of them.

Zoom out: I had a lot of questions about the French fry behemoth’s latest efforts (who took those bites?) but from a branding perspective, I couldn’t help but wonder…what other companies would a “nameless" campaign work for, and why?

Beyond the “household name” requirement, perhaps it comes down to colors and shapes.

• The McDonald’s ads are recognizable because of the brand's signature yellow and logo shape.
• So theoretically, other brands with distinct shapes and colors—like Spotify’s bright green volume logo or Twitter’s signature blue bird—could achieve the same effect.

Looking ahead: But if today’s DTC branding trends, which leave every brand logo looking nearly identical, continue to grow in popularity, the future’s brands might not look distinct enough to pull off similar name-free campaigns.