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McDonald’s Collaborates with the World’s First Sign Language Rap Artist to Promote Inclusivity and Understanding

28/09/2022
Advertising Agency
Stockholm, Sweden
556
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NORD DDB sheds light on the prejudices people with hearing impairments face daily

In conjunction with The International Week of the Deaf, McDonald’s Finland collaborates with the well-known rapper Signmark to translate the restaurant chain’s iconic jingle into a sign language based song. Signmark and McDonald’s hope that the song will help to shed light on the prejudices people with hearing impairments face daily. Agency NORD DDB is behind the initiative.

McDonald’s latest campaign contributes to increased awareness about deafness with its first of a kind sign language jingle called Something bigger (I’m lovin’ it). The song is a part of McDonald’s Togetherness platform which aims to promote equality and inclusivity.

“I wanted to give McDonald’s famous jingle a visual form in a fun way. My aim was to translate the positive feeling of the brand jingle into sign language. I hope I can be a part of dismantling these prejudices by being a part of this campaign,” says Marko Vuoriheimo, also known as Signmark.

“Working with a deaf artist and sign language was a great learning experience. In the end everything you want to say must be seen in the film, so that the message gets understood in the deaf community. That sets different boundaries for the visuals,” says Matti Räty, art director at NORD DDB.

The campaign is part of McDonald’s continuing work to promote equality, as well as the restaurant chain’s ambition to better accommodate sign language users, both as an employer and a service provider. The chain already employs Finns who use sign language, and the company emphasizes that deafness or hearing impairment is not an obstacle to working at McDonald's. In recent years McDonald’s has also made improvements to its digital services to facilitate effortless transactions, digital kiosks can be found in almost all McDonald’s restaurants in Finland and orders can also be placed using the mobile application.

“As one of the most well-known brands in the world we can use our scale for good and make a difference. In today’s world, inclusivity is more important than ever. This co-operation with Signmark is a great example of how we live our values and showcase the importance of inclusiveness and togetherness that always starts with understanding,” says Mats Nyström, marketing director at McDonald’s Finland.

Markku Jokinen, the executive director of the Finnish Association of the Deaf, an interest organization for sign language speakers, is satisfied with the visibility gained through the campaign with McDonald’s as it raises awareness about deafness and contributes to dismantle preconceptions.

“Through this campaign, we can contribute to together break down prejudices and negative attitudes that are still associated with sign language,” says Jokinen.

The Finnish lyrics of the song “Something bigger (I'm lovin' it)” were written by Olli Hartonen together with Signmark. The song was produced by Adam Tensta and composed by Olli Hartonen alongside Adam Tensta.

The campaign is being promoted through TVC, OLV, and social media.

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