# Academic Fast Food Ads These McDonald's Ads Celebrate the School Season with Tasty Reminders By Christopher Magsambol | Published 2015-09-08 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fastfood-ads References: [creativity-online](http://creativity-online.com/work/mcdonalds-welcome-back-to-school/43163) & [adsoftheworld](https://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/mcdonalds_textbooks) We are constantly bombarded with fast food ads through the Internet, TV, magazines and billboards. Most of these ads tell us about the newest product offering, or upcoming specials. [McDonald's](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/all-flavour-no-mess) however has used this opportune time to for a simple and clever series of print ads. The back-to-school campaign by McDonald's turns basic school supplies into subtle reminders for the fast food giant. A red and yellow backpack hints at the restaurant's golden arches, while a cleverly placed yellow book turns textbooks into a cheeseburger. A cup full of pencils is also meant to tease viewers of its iconic fries. Although the ads don't advertise any particular menu products, McDonald's is capitalizing on the back-to-school frenzy that many kids and parents are currently experiencing. The ads further assert its brand is on the forefront of creativity. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.2/10 - Popularity: 71% | Activity: 48% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Print](https://www.trendhunter.com/print) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Back-to-school Marketing:** Opportunity for fast food brands to leverage the back-to-school season to promote their products through creative advertisements. - **Subtle Advertising:** Increasing trend of using subtle and clever imagery to advertise products, enhancing brand recognition and awareness. - **Creative Branding:** Growing emphasis on creativity in advertising, allowing brands to stand out and engage potential customers. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Fast Food:** Opportunity for fast food industry to leverage the back-to-school season and create targeted marketing campaigns to attract students and parents. - **Advertising:** Growing demand for creative and innovative advertising strategies presents disruptive innovation opportunities for the advertising industry. - **Education:** Potential for educational institutions and organizations to collaborate with fast food brands to create engaging educational campaigns during the back-to-school season. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Vibrant Cafeteria-Inspired Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-lunchables-effect.md) - [Fast Food-Inspired Beachy Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/leo-burnett-italia.md) - [Pristine Fast Food Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/all-flavour-no-mess.md) - [Playful QSR Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mcdonalds-campaign-1.md) - [Architecture-Inspired QSR Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/new-mcdonalds-campaign.md) - [Scented Fast Food Billboards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/scented-billboard.md) - [QSR Food-Inspired Door Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mcdonalds-france-1.md) - [Time Travel Fast Food Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/inflationary-mcdonalds-ads.md) - [Nostalgic Fast Food Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cheeky-maccas.md)