McDonald’s Pranks Aspiring Actors With Fake Auditions For #HungerInTheNight Zombie Musical

Because it’s Cannes Lions week and because agencies are too busy sipping rosé on the Carlton Terrace in the South of France to, you know, do any actual work, our Creative of the Day space is left with… zombies. Yes, zombies. Recently, McDonald’s pranked Las Vegas by hosting a casting call for a nonexistent, zombie-themed musical. In […]

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Because it’s Cannes Lions week and because agencies are too busy sipping rosé on the Carlton Terrace in the South of France to, you know, do any actual work, our Creative of the Day space is left with… zombies. Yes, zombies.

Recently, McDonald’s pranked Las Vegas by hosting a casting call for a nonexistent, zombie-themed musical. In an effort to promote its After Midnight menu, McDonald’s held fake auditions in downtown Las Vegas for a post-apocalyptic spectacular, “Hunger in the Night.” A production crew filmed dozens of actors performing their most convincing zombie and vampire impressions.

The casting was staged at the Arts Factory in the heart of downtown Las Vegas during the city’s monthly First Friday art walk event celebrating the arts and the downtown community. The show was promoted as the first of its kind in Las Vegas to utilize crowdsourcing to create its cast.

At the time of the open casting for the “Hunger in the Night” production, McDonald’s perceived involvement in the social experiment was limited to credit as a corporate sponsor that was underwriting the show. Its name was emblazoned all over the staging area’s backdrop. Why that wasn’t a… ahem… dead giveaway that the whole thing was a sham is beyond us.

To promote “Hunger in the Night,” McDonald’s outreach efforts incorporated advertisements, media support and branded promotional materials, including a wrapped tour bus to attract participants to the open casting.

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About the author

Steve Hall
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Steve Hall is a marketing professional, publisher, writer, community manager, photographer and all-around lover of advertising.

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