McDonald’s admitted to pulling a Fat Jew, but at least it’s apologizing. A few weeks ago, the fast food chain launched a Twitter campaign promoting its $2.50 double cheeseburger combo with a series of photos, including one in which a model declares her love in chalk for the meal deal.
The pictures looked awfully familiar to Kristina Bakrevski and David Sikorski. The couple is accusing the chain of lifting the idea from their viral mock announcement of an engagement to burrito back in June.
Everything from model’s clothes to the bucolic settings were copied, Sikroski told Adweek.
“The photos used by McDonald’s are not a spin-off or a take on it,” he said, “but an exact duplicate from the wardrobe, the positions and the concept. Neither myself, my photographer or the licensing company were approached for permission.”
A friend alerted him to a sponsored tweet showing the pictures, which prompted them to publicly call out McDonald’s from his Twitter account:
LOL, that time @McDonalds gives zero fuxs and recreates your ad photos to the tee for themselves @BuzzFeed #burritos pic.twitter.com/49FLo1k5oX
— David Sikorski (@_davidsikorski) August 20, 2015
@McDonalds WOW! YOU TOTALLY DID RIP THIS PHOTO OFF FROM ME AND @KristinaBaky https://t.co/nPlMD91eZ0 #supersizeoriginalitymuch?
— David Sikorski (@_davidsikorski) August 20, 2015
McDonald’s is now saying sorry to the pair and blaming its agency for the mishap.
“This shouldn’t have happened and, with our agency partner, we’re working to find out how it did. We’re reaching out to David Sikorski and Kristina Bakrevski. We apologize to them, their fans and ours,” McDonald’s said in a statement to Digiday.
McDonald’s deleted the pictures from its Twitter account last night. Sikorski told Adweek he would “love” to be paid for the concept, but he’ll probably have to settle for a gift card.
Photos via McDonald’s.
More in Marketing
Why marketers shouldn’t follow Unilever’s plans to work with ’20 times’ more influencers just yet
The creator economy isn’t just another media channel but an ecosystem all its own with potential hazards along the way.
Despite the uncertainty, some advertisers have increased their TikTok spend this year
Seven large advertisers have increased their U.S. social media spend on the platform during Q1 2025.
WFA sees 54% of multinational brands boosting influencer spending — with more relying on agencies to find creators
With influencer marketing budgets steadily rising, more multinational brands are increasingly partnering with influencer agencies to identify creators as the industry becomes more complex.