Ad Infinitum: S2E08 - Sonic Truths with JJ Healan

The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back! Presenting Ad Infinitum Season 2, Episode 8 - "Sonic Truths."

Fearless host Stew Redwine (VP Creative Services, Oxford Road) welcomes JJ Healan (Vice President, U.S. Marketing, Brand Content and Engagement, McDonald's) for a big bite of McDonald’s. The Golden Arches are an audio advertising giant, (celebrated extensively in Ad Infinitum S1E07 ‘It’s all in the Execution’) and we’re mining insights from Mickey D’s 20+ year “I’m Lovin’ It” journey.

Join Stew and JJ as they explore; sharing the pen, fan truths, and being flawesome. Let’s indulge:

“We no longer ask, when we have ideas presented, ‘will it work?’ We ask if it's true. Because if we know it's true, we know we're onto something.”

  • JJ Healan (Vice President, U.S. Marketing, Brand Content and Engagement, McDonald's) 

Embrace your Flawesomeness 🤗 - Things don’t have to be flawless to be perfect. In audio. Take Brian Cox, for instance. The quirks and idiosyncrasies of his voice make it work. Being devoid of flaws doesn’t mean you’re iconic. Quite the opposite. Get comfortable being Flawesome.

Fan Truths 💯 - McDonald’s talks 1-on-1 with McFans about their experiences. The truths gleaned from those conversations are shared in a Fan Truth book used to spark groundbreaking whole platform ideas. JJ shares; “The famous orders platform came from this fan truth; No matter how big or famous you are, everyone has a McDonald’s order.” CAOs, your fans have truths too–you just have to ask about them to capture insights.

Sharing the Pen 🖊️ - The best thing about having a strong center is the infinite variations that can be on brand. Instead of making your creative partners do things exactly the way you want, let them bring their personal experiences and tastes to the creative mission. You’ll still know it’s McDonald’s, even with your eyes closed. Ba da ba ba ba.

Hungry for more? Taste the whole conversation by clicking below.

Bianca Gorodinsky