Great ads, but are they 2 years late...

Nedbank and 麦当劳 both launched new campaigns that feature chess as a central part of the advert.

Before I continue to discuss the content, I want to make it clear that these are great pieces of work, and I commend the teams involved. Top quality direction and editing.

My thoughts are more about the way we still use chess as a game to position the personas instead of something like online games for our younger audience or a smart discourse over text to position the older gentelemen. To frame it differently; does this still resonate with the intended audience or not?

Both are clearly influenced by a Queens Gambit that featured on Netflix in 2020, which it feels a bit old to still be a pop culture reference, so that fails to land.

In my view, chess is an over-done "I'm smart and analytical" trope that should be dropped for more relevant forms of engagment.

A friend from the industry gave me her take on these ads:

As a whole, I do think the Mcdonald's ad lands better. Although a bit ill-timed for the current zeitgeist, the concept of the child prodigy chess player does carry, but if this is your chosen narrative, wouldn't a Wednesday reference (which is essentially the same thing, right?) been more current?

Likening a game of chess to a financial "meet-cute" may seem like an innovation in this often-used allegory, but speaking purely as a consumer, this overplayed trope does nothing to further the brand, so it misses the mark for me.

View the Nedbank ad here:

View the McDonald's ad here: