The image above is a McDonald's advert from july 2008. The hand gesture used in the image known as "Hand Horns" is a symbol that was popularised by Dio, an American heavy metal band, that symbolises the rock and roll genre as a whole. The use of this hand gesture, could be due to them trying to associate McDonalds with youth, fun and freedom.The colours used in the image (yellow, red, black) are symbolic of the McDonald's company and are used in all their branding guidelines. The gold/yellow is used as a symbol of quality and value as traditionally the substance, gold, which is the colour gold, is very valuable. The red is a colour that is symbolic of the companies bold, strong nature. The colours combined makes the branding very strong and the logo almost unforgettable. The golden arc "M" is a symbol for the McDonalds franchise too, with other connotations, such as "mmmm", the noise a person makes when they are enjoying food. The black "M" that is behind the yellow "M" is an icon for a drop shadow. This is supposed to connote that light is beaming down on the "M", from above, possibly giving off religious connotations of a heavenly light shinning upon the "M". Subtly associating the company with god and heaven, will make customers want to buy their food. This is giving the audience a positive image about the food served at McDonald's. The actual intentions of the ad are not clear. It may be trying to make McDonald's appeal to a wider audience by associating it with rock and roll. The hand gesture, combined with the colours is an icon used to represent the packaging and french fries served at McDonald's. Subliminal messages can also be seen in this advert. For example the finger nails, combined with the downward yellow arc on the hand is an icon for a smiley face, giving off positive connotations. The white background is used as a symbol for purity, cleanliness, healthiness. These are all attributes that a customer wants their food to be associated with. The bright colours clash with the white background that make the colours seem even more vivid. This connotes that the food is vibrant with taste, fun and excitement. Lastly, The catch-phrase "I'm lovin' it" connotes that there is a vast range of people that love the food. "love" being the optimum word. The word connotes that there are strong positive feelings towards the food at McDonald's, letting the audience know that the food is good. All together the advert has a powerful look that connotes the McDonald's company as a strong, vibrant and healthy company.
