Every generation is judged by the previous one. Whether being called lazy, irresponsible and selfish, or accused of being too reliant on technology, the generations before us always fail to see our potential. During the pandemic, this lack of faith has only worsened, causing more youth to face unemployment.
McDonald's Sweden is trying to help. With agency Nord DDB, the fast-food giant has created a music video with a new interpretation of the Swedish classic "Open Your Door" by Tommy Nilsson as a rallying cry—calling on other brands nationwide to hire young people, much as McDonald's itself does, and generally open their doors, hearts and minds to the possible future Sweden's youth holds.
See the three-minute video here:
"As one of Sweden's biggest youth employers, McDonald's knows that this reverse ageism is something that has always existed toward every youth generation," Petter Dixelius, copywriter at Nord DDB, tells Muse. "So the brief was to take a stand for this youth generation and call on more brands to do the same. As part of that, McDonald's has promised to employ 10,000 people in the coming years and they have made their model for coaching young people at work public at their site for other companies to copy."
Many of the video's stars, including the main character, are McDonald's employees.
"We wanted to show different youth generations, from the early '70s when McDonald’s established themselves in Sweden, until today," Dixelius says. "In a way, the film also shows how the demographic in Sweden has changed into the multicultural nation it now is. It's always a bit tricky to find talent that works as well as this when you cast among employees only. But Selma was a star in front of the camera!"
The music and lyrics also play a huge role in relaying the unrelenting story of reverse ageism. The teens sing about all the assumptions older generations have about them such as incompetence, vanity and ignorance.
The three-minute video aired during the finale of the show Let's Dance. "High level politicians [have picked up the ad campaign] as an important move from one of the country's biggest youth employers and [are] encouraging more companies to help employ this generation," says Dixelius.
The generations before us might fail to see our potential to make the world a better place, but that doesn't mean businesses have to.
CREDITS
Client: McDonald's Sweden
Agency: Nord DDB
PR Agency: Prime
Media Agency: OMD
Production Company: Acne Film
Director: Tomas Skoging
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