That Kosciusko McDonald's commercial
We've had a handful of people recently mention a McDonald's TV spot that features a bunch of local namechecks (Amy was the first person to point it out to us):
The spot references Lark Street, the Karner Blue butterfly, the missing Exit 3 on the Northway and Kosciusko (though they mispronounce it).
Well, Michelle has turned up the backstory on the commercial -- including how many times it took the to get the Kosciusko bit right (well, close).
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Comments
Jerry G from Channel 6 did a story about Exit 3, and how they may add it or something....great commercial though isn't it
... said Mike Bucciferro on Oct 2, 2009 at 10:56 AM | link
Yep, cute. Still not stepping foot in a McDonald's.
... said B on Oct 2, 2009 at 11:18 AM | link
Ugh. I didn't think I was capable of any more contempt for McDonald's, and then they went and jumped on the local-washing bandwagon. Are ya'll really going to let your hearts be warmed by this drivel?
... said Josiah on Oct 2, 2009 at 11:35 AM | link
I feel a little violated, actually. Like when my old creepy boss used to try to relate to us younger people, and started calling us his bitches.
... said Mrs. M on Oct 2, 2009 at 11:49 AM | link
WOW people...it's freaken McDonalds...it's basically how I cook
Why Wouldn't u go to McDonalds?
... said Mike Bucciferro on Oct 2, 2009 at 11:58 AM | link
At least we dont get hit with this stuff. I never realized sex could sell a Tomato McGrand?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UKLncvGxQ8
... said JVG on Oct 2, 2009 at 12:23 PM | link
I have never heard of anyone call Lark Street “Greenwich Villageâ€. I can see the pseudo comparison to describe it to outsiders, but do you know any locals that call it that?!
Who did McDonalds use to get their local info - Wikipedia?
... said Brian on Oct 2, 2009 at 12:26 PM | link
Every time we cross the bridges, I call out "Kosciusko!" and my kids call out "Gesundheit!"
... said CJ on Oct 2, 2009 at 12:37 PM | link
@Mike
I haven't gone to a McDonalds in 8 years (or Burger King, Taco Bell, etc). To put it simply, their food is high in calories & fat, but low in nutrition. Their portions are huge, the food is cheap and addicting, and that is part of the reason why America is the fattest nation on Earth (and we're dealing with massive health implications of that right now which I don't even want to get into). If you like McDonalds, that's fine. To each his own. I don't judge you. But that's why I personally don't eat there and I imagine B has similar reasons.
... said Mrs. M on Oct 2, 2009 at 12:43 PM | link
Brian,
"The Village in the City" is a now decades-old-yet-not-so-successful marketing gimmick by the Lark BID that's painted on the side of the Lark Street Flower Market. Cause nothing makes the locals feel proud like telling them that they have no genuine identity and can only be thought of in reference to another cultural entity!
And you're right... nobody calls it that.
... said Sandor on Oct 2, 2009 at 12:44 PM | link
Ehh.. I can't eat anything from McDonalds except for their fruit and yogurt, but Stonyfield makes that much better anyway.
Don't stone me, I do drink their coffee.
... said kimelodic on Oct 2, 2009 at 1:04 PM | link
I love her chin dimple too. But that commercial could've rocked with a reference to Jerry Jenning's perma-tan.
... said Pat on Oct 2, 2009 at 1:26 PM | link
Yeah, Mike, McDonald's, I don't know man. It's like, okay first of all it doesn't taste good, and if I want cheap, filling food that doesn't taste good I can eat some plain oatmeal, right? Or those frozen burritos that used to be part of my diet back when I thought Killian's was decent beer. And then, This McDonald's quasi-maybe-close-your-eyes-and-pretend-it's-food, it's actually not that cheap! You know, if you kind of want to actually eat something and not be hungry again in, say, the time it takes to drive past the next McDonald's down the road, you have to spend I dunno, around $8 or $10 or whatever. Even if I just want sort of a burger and fries or something, I could go to maybe Five Guys or somewhere, or Jumpin' Jacks, and spend less and not end up comparing the the taste favorably to vegan cheese. You ever have that stuff? It's vile, Mike, vile.
And then, dude, I mean come on. It's McDonald's. McDonalds! Among my friends that's a synonym for boring. It's like, we went to see that movie Extract right, because it was by Mike Judge, right, and he did Office Space, right? And now, don't get me wrong, the sort of neo-existentialism or whatever you want to call it of that movie has grown on me, but when we left we all said in unison, "Well damn, that movie was so McDonald's!" Meaning, if you've been following me here, that it was boring. Like seriously, seriously, for serious Mike Bucciferro, it's not like there aren't any other options, kid! Hit any random dive bar/restaurant and at least get a beer with your food, like they can do in Europe; you know you can get beer in McDonald's in Europe? Why can't we, what's up with that, huh Mike? Can you answer that? So yeah, you could go to a mexican place, or get some sushi, or a real burger, or maybe some wings and ribs, or a decent pizza, or a salad, or falafel, which by the way is one of my favorite words to say, falafel falafel falafel, try it, or get a big old stack of pancakes at a diner, maybe some chicken tikka masala, or a nice BLT, or whatever, I mean, there're a lot of options, bud. There's no reason to stop at McDonald's, or Burger King, or hey I'm gonna say it because nobody else will, even Taco Bell, and I'm considering the fact that you can stock up on enough sauce packets at Taco Bell to last you a year, that's some pretty good sauce, but you have to at least be a decent human being and buy food to take the sauce and I'm just not willing to stoop that low just for good sauce.
You get what I'm saying here? As the kids say, you feelin' me? Mike? You savvy?
And I guarantee McDonalds is not how you cook. You cook with dimethylpolysiloxane? Can you even pronounce that, I sure can't without a couple shots of Jim Beam first. How much sodium nitrate you got in your kitchen bud? The ATF might be interested since that's pretty common in homemade exposives, and also in that bacon quarter pounder. Hard to get that stuff at Price Chopper, brohan.
Hey look, you like McDonald's, cool. That's like, just your opinion, man. I mean, maybe if New World Bistro had a ball pit, it would be better, I dunno. Float that idea, run it up the flagpole, trendsetter.
... said B on Oct 2, 2009 at 1:52 PM | link
@B: I think Mike was trolling, or joking. But wow. That many words? Slow slow day at work?
... said -S on Oct 2, 2009 at 3:03 PM | link
Walk into ANY restaurant you'll find food high in fat, calories and salt. It's up to the individual to decide whether they want to buy it or choose a healthier alternative.
... said DH on Oct 2, 2009 at 3:45 PM | link
Yeah, hearing the “Lark Street is the Greenwich Village of Albany†thing always made me roll my eyes. But hearing it in a McDonald's commercial just made me throw up in my mouth a little bit. Which, incidentally, is the same thing that happens when I eat at McDonalds.
... said Jackers on Oct 2, 2009 at 4:01 PM | link
I've heard the comparison between Lark & Greenwich Village...or more so that it's our own little equivalent. I don't eat at McDonald's myself, but I thought the commercial was cute regardless. Thanks for digging that up.
... said Summer on Oct 2, 2009 at 4:30 PM | link
In a darkened library, a man brings holds two beverages in his hands. A girl sits at a table. "One of those for me?" she asks.
"Maybe," the man replies. "Who has a wonderful list?"
"Craig."
"What's the best thing to do on Saturday?"
"Visit the farmer's markets."
"What happens on Monday?"
"The host of that week's My Exit gets interviewed."
He hands the coffee to her. "I like your chin dimple, Mary."
"Thank you, Greg," she replies, drinking the coffee. "Next time, go to Mr. Subb and bring me back a Neba."
... said Chuck Miller on Oct 2, 2009 at 5:01 PM | link
What bothers me is the line "we care about our heritage" or whatever. Our heritage is quizzing each other on "exit 3"? Or is it mispronouncing Kosciusko?
... said Herber on Oct 3, 2009 at 8:59 AM | link
Oh, and thankfully we may be moving to mileage-based exits in a few years, so this Exit 3 crap will go away:
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?category=REGION&storyID=841571&BCCode=&newsdate=9/14/2009
... said Herber on Oct 3, 2009 at 9:03 AM | link
Kosky-oo-sko is the downstate pronunciation ---most often heard during New York traffic reports relating to the other Kosciuszko Bridge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosciuszko_Bridge_(New_York_City)
... said Rob on Oct 3, 2009 at 12:21 PM | link
She was on Law and Order SVU last night.
It's one of her only other credits thus far, but she did pretty well.
... said Tommy on Oct 4, 2009 at 6:33 PM | link
Jeez, did this turn into a preachy, holier-than-thou "I don't stoop to eating fast food" thread, or what? Hey, I prefer Quintessence and D'Raymond's too, but I'm not above taking the kids to their beloved McDonalds for burgers, fries, and perhaps most importantly AN INDOOR PLAYGROUND. "Supersize Me" swore me off the stuff for a couple years, too, but I'm back now and bringing my children.
As for the local references, well... they tried. Like when Gore came to town in 1996 and tried to relate to SUNY students by referencing local drinking holes in his speech - the Lamppost and W.T.'s, if I remember. He was obviously fed those local name-drops by an advance scout.
Another word: yes, I think of Lark Street as Greenwich Village, and have told the uninitiated that it's like "a block of Manhattan, in Albany." No foul.
... said MarkD on Oct 5, 2009 at 10:08 AM | link
And oh yes, the missing Exit 3. Well, maybe my local friends and I don't have CONVERSATIONS about it, but of course it's A FACT that there isn't one. Cut the McD's people a break; they tried, and their commercial is no more offensive to local sensibilities than the "local color" given to the Monopoly-like game "Albany In A Box," which I also happen to love.
BTW, anyone remember when we had no Exit 7, just a sign there saying "To Be Built"? Now Exit 7 is one of the most commonly used, putting you onto "Alternate Route 7," and over to 787, or Troy and points east (Vermont). Maybe they could create an Exit 3 which would take you DIRECTLY to the airport.
... said MarkD on Oct 5, 2009 at 10:24 AM | link
I don't eat at McDonalds (not for ethical reasons, I just prefer BK) but I thought they did a decent job with this commercial. I'll admit, I was impressed to see such a huge company make the effort to create a commercial for a limited market. I guess I even felt proud that my hometown was featured in this way. Maybe I'm crazy, but it's not something you see every day for such a small, localized market.
I think a lot of people are taking the ad the wrong way only because it was created by McDonalds... If it was a localized Trader Joes ad announcing they were opening a new store here, people might have a different opinion on the cutesy Albany references.
Also - I've heard the Greenwich Village reference before but it's outdated. I've told people from NYC that Lark Street is our one-block-Brooklyn. ;)
... said Paul on Oct 5, 2009 at 2:54 PM | link
WHAA? I dont drink beer or Pepsi -but I still enjoy the superbowl commercials!
... said The Mother on Oct 5, 2009 at 2:57 PM | link
damn...people take themselves so seriously
... said diana on Oct 5, 2009 at 6:34 PM | link
I discovered that McDonalds isn't the only one local-washing. Yesterday I spotted a Geico van, with their trademark gecko standing in front of the Albany skyline.
... said Albany Native on Apr 21, 2010 at 10:16 AM | link