Coming out at McCafe Taiwan

A heartwarming video is putting the spotlight on one of the most difficult conversations a young LGBT person can have: coming out to family.

Entitled ‘Acceptance’, the video is the third and latest in the ‘More Warmth in Conversations’ campaign, which started in January. It has already racked up 3.5 million views on Facebook and another 1 million on YouTube.

The video opens with a father and son sitting at a table in a McCafé. The son hands his father a coffee cup with a note that reads: "I like boys". The father then gets up, visibly upset, and appears to storm away from the table.

The son sits in despair, but his father soon returns and writes three additional characters on the coffee cup, changing the sentence to: "I accept that you like boys".

Ad Nut must confess to gripping half-eaten nut in one furry paw and waiting with bated breath for the father to return, with imagination going into a frenzy with all the possibilities in terms of the reaction.

Yes, the cynical jaded part of Ad Nut ought to have known the only possible outcome is a positive one, but Ad Nut has heard too many horror stories from human LGBT friends in Asia.

Ad Nut applauds both agency and brand for highlighting what can be a nerve-wracking and painful experience for so many and framing it in a warmer and more inclusive context. Bravo!

Moreover, the video is very much in line with McDonald’s long-standing brand positioning as being the venue for many of life’s moments, even the uncomfortable ones.

Ad Nut also hopes humans sort out their hang-ups around sexual identity and orientation soon. Progress is happening, but there's still a long way to go. Those of us in the animal world don't have these kinds of issues, and we seem to be doing quite all right.

CREDITS

Chief creative officer: Murphy Chou 周俊仲
Creative director: Jin Yang 楊乃菁
Associate creative director: Ed Hsieh 謝清豪
Art director: Tim Lee, Karl Kuo 李家豪，郭俊平
Copywriter: Murphy Chou, Jin Yang, Ed Hsieh 周俊仲，楊乃菁，謝清豪
Agency producer: Yu-ping Chen 陳宇平
Business director: Ruby Shen 沈婉菁
Senior account director: Sylvia Huang 黃筱雯
Senior account manager: Allan Chin 金倫羽
Account executive: Isan Cheng 鄭伃珊

Production house: BIT Production Co., Ltd. 積木影像製作有限公司
Director: Ya-Chuan Hsiao 蕭雅全
Executive producer: Jui-Lan Hsiao 蕭瑞嵐
Producer: Chun-Chien Chang張俊謙
Director of photography: Tse-Chung Lin林哲強