Bacon Ice Cream – McDonald’s AI Mishap, Specsavers is “Never Gonna Give you Up”, EU Pushes on with Digital Identify, and Spotify CEO Hits a Dud Note

Pinterest’s Theatrical Twist: A Show of Immersion

Here at Make Honey we love an AI story, we love it even more when it includes salty snacks – see our story about Taco Bell a few weeks ago – but McDonald’s stumbled upon the lack of AI reliability in the US last week.

In partnership with IBM, the fast food chain has used AI voice recognition to process orders since a trial in 2019.

In theory, this would speed up order wait times, allowing staff to concentrate on service. However, as social channels revealed, it seems replacing humans from this process has backfired. Customers report receiving an addition of hundreds of dollars of nuggets to their order, bacon ice cream, and stacks of butter rather than a caramel milkshake.

Whilst McDonald’s announced it will cease this trial in 100 restaurants from the end of July, it makes one think how developed AI systems need to be before introducing them to customers. 

We see many AI blowbacks, and believe marketers and business leaders alike need to test rigorously before including AI tools just to keep up with the developments. Or is all publicity, good publicity? I’d try a bacon-topped McFlurry on a Saturday morning.

Workday’s Rock Star Campaign: Hitting the High Notes

Workday brought out the big guns (or guitars, if you will) with their “We’re All Rock Stars” campaign featuring none other than Gwen Stefani, Travis Barker, and Billy Idol. This isn’t just about star power for the sake of it. By drawing a parallel between corporate achievers and rock legends, Workday celebrated its clients in a fun, relatable way, bringing rock and roll to B2B.

What’s the lesson? It’s about celebrating, not case studying, your customers to make them feel like the heroes of their own stories. Take a moment to shine a spotlight on what matters to them outside of work as well as during 9-5,  and show you’re part of their journey to stardom.

The EU Digital Identity Waller: Moving onwards to Digitalisation

Reported in Tech Crunch this weekend, the EU is pushing on with its Digital Identity Wallet project due to be implemented by the end of 2026.

Unlike current e-ID schemes, this pan-EU wallet will be recognised by all member states, and will allow holders to access public and private services across the EU through credentials stored on smartphones.

This will undoubtedly add convenience for those who travel frequently across the bloc, yet we found ourselves discussing the accessibility of these digital wallets to those who might be technologically illiterate.

We have seen loyalty systems such as Nectar and Tesco Clubcard moving towards a more app-based service, and phasing out their physical cards. This is already widely reported, and fears that elderly or vulnerable shoppers could become locked out of accessing these services.

For marketers, any move towards digitalisation and app based loyalty saves time and money, however as per the EU digital wallet, it is worth considering who can access these services, and what ought to be done to allow all to stay connected regardless of smart phone or internet connectivity.

Spotify CEO Hits a Dud Note

In a poorly-worded statement, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek ruffled more than a few feathers in the music industry by claiming that the cost of creating content and music is “close to zero.”

Whilst his intention was to showcase how accessible music and content creation is for people, Ek’s clumsily-worded statement was branded as “out of touch” with musicians commenting on X how the act of making music and content can cost thousands of dollars/KRW/Yen (insert currency of choice), time, and energy.

Despite walking back on his comments and clarifying his words, this comes at a time for Spotify when it is criticised for not paying artists their fair share of royalties, whacking up subscription fees, laying off employees, yet still reporting a Q1 record profit.

But what does this mean? As we’ve mentioned before, PR crises can come from anywhere, and this runs akin to some of Sunak, Southgate, Timberlake (insert favourite celebrity) gaffs over the past few weeks. PRs, marketers, CEOs – tone check, sense check, and proofread EVERY piece of comms before going to print.

Dessert Spoons, Rick Astley, Mittens, and Specsavers

With marketers exiting Cannes as fast as Tories running from Paddy Power, we loved this Lion winning campaign from our friends at Golin London: Never Gonna Give You Up, The Misheard Version.

The 60-second clip has 80s crooner Rick Astley singing his hit with ludicrous lyrics about kittens/mittens/dessert spoons (insert favourite pet, winter woollen or cutlery item). Whilst a humorous take on the popular song, the campaign highlights the serious issue  of hearing loss, connecting people’s concerns and fears with high street favourite, Specsavers. An Astley behind the scenes video, plus comedian Rob Brydon’s voiceover lightens the stigma around hearing tests and hearing aid products.

For the Honey team this really shows top tier customer engagement by tapping into popular meme culture, and utilising an ambassador who will resonate with the target audience across video and radio.

Did it remind anyone else of Peter Kay’s misheard lyrics? Answers on a postcard.

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