- [Narrator] Nothing ever
looks quite as good in person. I mean, you should see me
compared to my Instagram. And the commercial advertising
industry is just as guilty. From mashed potato ice creams, to secret augmented reality cars, here are some of the shocking tricks used in the commercial advertising industry. Mcfoolin' you. Ah, McDonald's, founded by Richard and
Maurice McDonald back in 1940, the burger joint has
become a crowd favorite over the last 80 years. And while it's estimated that over 69 million
hungry customers flock to their restaurants every day, their burgers are somewhat
notorious for being a bit, well, underwhelming when compared with what appears on their
billboards and TV spots. But how exactly do they
pamper their patties to the perfection seen in
McDonald's advertising campaigns? Well, in response to a customer who asked, why does your food look so different in the advertisements? McDonald's Canada released a show-all behind-the-scenes video to their YouTube channel in
2012, revealing how they get their quarter pounder looking
like a million pounder. And shockingly, they use
100% of the same ingredients, just with a whole lot more finesse. While it might seem like McDonald's are trying to sell the idea of perfection, and trust me I'm sure they are, their main objective is actually to show all the ingredients inside, which means pulling forward those pickles and onions that are
often hid under the hood. And while that might seem
like an easy operation, it actually requires the
knowledge and expertise of a food stylist. This person's job is to
prepare and arrange the food so that it's as aesthetically
pleasing as possible, which at best, results in food
that is quite unrealistic, and at worst, inedible, as you'll see later in this video. For the McDonald's campaigns, once the ingredients are positioned, the food stylist takes a hot palette knife and melts that cheese
into gooey perfection. Afterwards it's time for
some precision condiments, syringing the ketchup and
mustard into shapely blobs. Even with all this painstaking precision, the snaps of this burger are touched up to absolute mouth-watering perfection, as the image specialist subtly boosts the saturation of ingredients,
neatens their placement and banishes any blemishes. The result? Well, nothing like the
product you actually get. Though in their defense,
this is a meticulous process which can take hours, as opposed to the rushed
McDonald's employee who haphazardly tosses it all together so that we can stuff our faces within two minutes of ordering. While McDonald's admittedly make their commercial
burgers look a bit better than their real-life counterparts, there seems to be a slight
discrepancy with their fries too. Sources suggest that fast-food
joints allegedly enhance their advertised fries by
propping them up with a sponge and toothpicks. And while it's unconfirmed, I think we can all agree
there's some form of witchcraft at play here to get
the perfect layout seen in promotional materials. Either way, whether it's
sponge and toothpicks, or something entirely different, it won't stop me shoving
like five in at a time. Ice, ice, maybe? As hinted at by the
90s rapper Vanilla Ice, it's true that ice is, in fact, back with a brand-new invention. Fake ice that is. Yep, turns out, real ice is
rarely used in film and TV due to its famous melting qualities. That, paired with its imperfect,
cloudy white appearance, makes it neither pretty nor durable enough to hit the big screen. And just looking at it next to its artificial counterpart, I think there's a clear winner,
if you'll pardon the pun. One of the many benefits of the
artificial ice used in film, TV and adverts, is that it's made from
squidgy silicone rubber. As you can see in this clip shared by TikTok filmmaker David Ma, it breaks apart super easily, meaning food stylists have
greater control over the size and shape of the ice. Not only is it un-meltable
and easily manipulated, but it's silent too. This is especially important
in movie situations, as the clinks and clanks of
real ice can often interfere with the actor's dialogue. Who'd have ever thought such small details would make such huge differences? And that's not even the half of it. Movies and advertisements are always striving for hyper-realism, and with this ice not
exactly being ice cold, food stylists have improvised
yet another way to fake it. In order to achieve a beverage that appears to be fresh out of the fridge and dripping with condensation, food stylist load up a
hypodermic needle with glycerine and tactically place their droplets. Glycerine is basically
indistinguishable from water and also holds its place for much longer, meaning photographers
aren't fighting against time and gravity to get the right shot. After the glycerine has been positioned, food stylists spray a
one-to-one mixture of water and glycerine all over the bottle, resulting in a room-temperature drink that looks fresh out of the refrigerator. They say all that glitters isn't gold, but I would like to add
that all that's dripping isn't necessarily cold. Thirst traps. Thirst traps, they're- They're everywhere, and no I'm not talking about your ex-girlfriend's Instagram. I'm talking about the bizarre beverages used in commercial advertising. And let's just say there are
a few unexpected ingredients. Let's start with coffee, it's a firm crowd favourite. And with reports suggesting
that the global coffee market will be worth around $155
billion by the year 2026, it's clear that we caffeine
connoisseurs have money to burn. So how do retailers get us
throwing cash for our next fix? According to various sources, beverages in commercials
are often pumped up with liquid-soap to achieve
the huge frothy gains. This soapy additive
helps maintain a fresh, frothier appearance much
longer than the real stuff, meaning filmmakers have plenty of time to get just the right shot. And that's not the only way they keep this bubbly brew looking fresh. People often say that showbiz
is all smoke and mirrors, well, in the coffee-biz
it's all steam and tampons. Allow me to explain. A common trick for food stylists
is to take a wet tampon, un-used, of course, whack it in the microwave, and place it in or
behind the food or drink as way to replicate steam
coming from the product when photographed. So, try not to be put off by the fact that those sumptuous coffees
you see on the big screen are likely to be cold, soapy and served with a side of hot tampon. I mean, it's not how I take my coffee, but there's no judgements here. It may come as a surprise, but advertising cold drinks aren't without their deceptions either. Wine for example, is arguably
the most deceptive of all. Not only do production companies
not want to spend big bucks on actual booze for adverts,
but in the case of movies, they'd rather their actors not get drunk. But never fear, the food stylists are here with their own special cocktails. Red wine for the lady? Um, no. Try water with a little bit
of food colouring, thanks. And chardonnay? Well, that again is just water but with a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet. This product lends a golden hue, being composed of caramel
and vegetable flavourings, and is more conventionally
used for browning and seasoning meat. But if you're in the market for a wine with meaty undertones, then this should do the trick. Cheers? Not just desserts. We all love cake, right? It's there for the good times. It's there for the bad times. Though most of the cake we see
in the movies and commercials isn't entirely genuine. Due to the fact that frosting
melts, cakes eventually sink, and even more so under hot studio lights. It's for this reason that
food stylists might fortify the cake by inserting layers
of cardboard between the tiers, as to avoid a seeping, hot
mess of melted frosting. And once the cardboard is placed, they'll simply mask over it with another layer of frosting, as if nothing ever happened. There's a whole bunch more
of these deceptive desserts, and even trusty melted chocolate
is among the offenders. In an interview, New York based food stylist
Emma Fiegenbaum revealed that instead of actual melted chocolate, stylists tend to opt for a concoction of the cleaning product Borax, PVA glue, and food coloring, which, if you didn't already know, is the recipe for homemade slime. And what's the reason
for this slimy imposter? Well, unlike chocolate, slime neither melts nor
hardens nearly as quick, and can be easily workshopped
to achieve the desired look. These sneaky food stylists
really are a slimy bunch, aren't they? Also joining the gang of trick
or treats is whipped cream. Yep, according to food stylists, real whipped cream is rarely used due to the fact that it ages into a runny, stinky mess real quick. So, quite often they prefer to use whipped
cream's evil twin, shaving foam. Yep, due to its glossy white appearance and long-lasting structure, shaving foam is the perfect
substitute for whipped cream and it certainly looks
just as irresistible. But take my word for it,
it's not quite as tasty. Now, for our next deceptive
dessert, picture the scene: It's a sweltering day. You're burning up. You yearn for the cold
embrace of an ice cream, and as one approaches,
you succumb to its allure. Your tongue races to catch
a solemn dripping bead of ice cream as it abseils
down the side of the cone. But it's too late. The ice cream is leaking
creamy droplets at all angles. Your hands are, alas, despite
your best efforts, sticky. Ice cream. I scream. Long story short, ice cream melts, and we've all found
ourselves in that situation. Well, more or less. But you can imagine trying
to photograph the stuff is a whole can of worms. So, to avoid this sticky situation, food stylists instead use, and brace yourself for this
one, because it's weird, mashed potato. Yep, with just a few
drops of food colouring, food stylists can transform
potatoes into pudding. Why the spuds though? Well, it's simple really, mashed potato has a similar consistency, it's easily coloured, and
if needs be, can be eaten. And while it's not as if mashed
potato is gross or anything, there's something extremely unnerving about expecting to lick a
sweet, strawberry sundae and instead being confronted
with a buttery mashed potato. But hey, if you're enjoying
the taste of this video so far, then do yourself a favour
and subscribe to the channel. All done? Great. Let's dive back in. Robots. We live in a society where
simply polishing the food to perfection is not enough, no. If food commercials are anything to go by, we'd prefer to see it sprung
and sprayed through the air, like some kind of fireworks display. And you can bet all these food gymnastics take a lot of orchestration. Steve Giralt is a veteran taco tosser, but visual engineer is probably what you'd find on his resume. Steve and his production
company, The Garage, build extraordinary robot mechanisms, which they use to create popping, dropping and truly show-stopping visuals. In an interview, Steve revealed
his favourite creation is, what he calls, the
deconstructed burger rig, and it's one I'm you may have
already seen used in ads. - [Man] Action. - [Narrator] Pretty impressive, huh? As you can see, each individual ingredient is suspended on a piece of string, which is edited out in post-production. Then, by a rapid guillotine mechanism, the strings are slashed, allowing gravity to take care of the rest. If only putting an outfit
together was as seamless as that. The Starbucks method. I love Starbucks as much as the next guy, but no matter what, they never
seem to get my name right. I blame my parents. I mean, who calls their
child Be Amazed? Well- Anyway, this incessant need
to spell our names wrong has ignited an online conspiracy that it might just be intentional. The theory is that Starbucks cashiers occasionally spell customers names in a completely absurd way, so as to get them sharing
the hilarious faux-pas with friends, family and social media, resulting in more exposure for Starbucks. Clever, huh? Well, Starbucks actually
responded to these allegations and plead not guilty. Representatives claim that
their name-taking tradition is a completely innocent and
fun way for their employees to interact with their customers, suggesting that there really
is no ulterior motive. But regardless of whether or not names are spelled incorrectly on purpose, the sense of bespoke
personalisation and ownership that comes from a named Starbucks beverage is undoubtedly a winning formula. It keeps customers feeling happy and connected with the product, while giving the massive corporation a contrastingly
small-scale, personal feel. Very likely increasing customer
loyalty in the long-run. So, in all honesty, the chances are that if
your Starbucks cashier gets your name wrong, it's probably not some conspiracy, but rather they either
didn't hear you properly, or just don't care whether
you're Karen with a C or a K. Not so real estate. For many of us, buying a house is probably the biggest purchase we'll ever make, with CNBC reporting the
average American house price at just under $300,000. So, it's no surprise there are plenty of hungry realtors waiting
to snap up our cash and close a deal. But how exactly can they
tempt us into a sale? Well first of all, they need some bait to
lure you into their web, which is often misleading online photos. Misleading how? Well, just take a look at these two photographs taken
from the exact same spot in a room. Just a tad different, don't you think? That's because wide-angle lenses, like the one used to capture
the second image, expand space. Objects look further apart
and more distant than normal, which exaggerates the size difference between the foreground and background, creating the illusion of a
room being larger than it is. While it's understandable
that realtors want to show off as much of the house as possible, you can understand why these photos are often a little misleading. And with ultra-wide angle
now available on smartphones, it's never been easier to
make things look bigger than they actually are. Which, uh, has many uses. Anyway. What about when you get to the property and realise that it's not
how you quite imagined? How do they polish the turd, so to speak? Well, Colorado realtor, Crip Erikson, claims that smell is an important detail, which realtors often
use to their advantage. They may spray chocolate-chip cookie spray or even pop up some popcorn, anything that will create
an inviting, homely smell. Erikson also highlights the
importance of using music to set an ambiance. Though he steers clear
of any well-known hits, so as to avoid any negative associations. After all, you can picture the scene, oh, this house is lovely. Oh, wait a minute. Is that Nickelback? Come on honey, we're leaving. Driven to deception. Real estate aside, buying a car is another of life's biggest purchases. With Forbes reporting the average brand-new hot-rod costing you a scorching $45,000. With the industry expected to accelerate to just under 9 trillion
dollars by the year 2030, it's a cash-grab race for car retailers. So, it's unsurprising
that the car industry has a few advertising
tricks up its sleeve. The most mind-blowing is
arguably something called the blackbird. A virtual transformer that
can shapeshift into any car. Allow me to explain. Essentially, the blackbird
works like any other car, yet with its onboard 360
camera and lidar scanner, it's nothing less than extraordinary. This 360 dash-cam captures
the surrounding environment, while the lidar scanner
uses laser technology to collect the dimensions
of nearby buildings and objects. Using CGI, the blackbird
can then be transformed into any car the mind can imagine. But, thanks to the 3D motion
capture from the 360 camera and lidar scanner, animators are able to
recreate authentic reflections on the CGI car, resulting in a hyper-realistic render that's virtually
indistinguishable from reality. Not only that, but the
blackbird is fully adjustable, so it can lengthen, widen
and stitch out wheels and suspension to match the
general proportions of anything from a Toyota to a Range Rover. As impressive as it is, surely it would be easier
to shoot a real car, right? Well, apparently not. Often, car advertisements are shot long before the car's
design is fully finalised, so should anything change, it's much easier and more cost-effective to edit a CGI render than
to re-shoot the whole thing. The blackbird is also very
important among movie directors, as they have almost any car
available at their fingertips, without the damage or insurance risks of actually hiring or buying, say, a vintage 1961 Jaguar E-Type. And while the exact price of the blackbird is kept under wraps, it's said to be a fraction of the cost for vintage and exotic vehicles. So, while there's certainly a
good reason for the blackbird, I can't help but feel like a
complete CGI car commercial is perhaps just as deceptive
as photoshopped models and food. But what's your opinion? Let
me know down in the comments. But let's say, like most people, you neither have access to a
Lamborghini nor the blackbird, but you have an oddly specific passion for advertising cars anyway? Well, India based
photographer, Kunal Kelkar, found himself in this predicament
during the 2020 lockdown and reached a very creative solution. Kunal was in talks with Lamborghini about a possible photoshoot,
but as the pandemic hit, it wasn't possible for
him to travel to Europe. Nevertheless, Kunal decided
to shoot the next best thing, a toy Lamborghini. Yep, securing a 1/18th scale
Lamborghini Huracan replica to a treadmill by a piece of string, Kunal used a technique
called forced perspective to pull off the illusion
of a full-sized Lambo. Forced perspective is
a common technique used by photographers, and just about any tourist visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa, whereby the placement of the subject can make something seem
closer, farther away, smaller and in the case of
Kunal's toy Lamborghini, bigger. In order to make the scene
look even more realistic, he sprayed the car and treadmill
with water to imitate rain, used bright lighting to produce
reflections on the ground, and even used a ping-pong table net for background detailing. And while Kunal hasn't quite
revealed all his secrets, I'm sure there maybe was a
little bit of Photoshop magic at play too to make
those colours really pop. Regardless, once it all comes together, you wouldn't suspect a thing. That is, until you zoomed out a little and see a couple of grown
men having a playdate with a toy car. Hey, I'm not judging. I kinda
want to get in on it too. What's more? TikTok'er and filmmaker David Ma shot his own treadmill-cruising car and shared the finished product in action. Similar to Kunal, David
created the illusion by using dynamic lighting
and forced perspective, but with the addition of a shower rig and fog spray to give the impression of a dramatic storm. The end result is seriously impressive and makes the mini BMW
appear to swap the treadmill for tarmac. Well, if I've learnt one thing from this, I think I may finally have
found a use for my treadmill. Hair goals. I recently saw a shampoo
commercial and thought, if only my hair were as
thick and luscious as that. As I ruminated on my ghastly hair, I did some research,
and came to realise that in reality, nobody's hair
is like the commercials. So, what's going on? Magical
shampoo? Well, not quite. In order to achieve these
seemingly magical locks of hair, stylists admit to
committing the cardinal sin, using fake hair. Employing extensions, hairpieces, and just about anything
that'll forge the appearance of a voluminous do. And in some instances, the hair isn't even attached
to the model's head. With a mound of hair
pinned to the backdrop, this model's hair has
seamlessly blended into it with some forced perspective, creating the illusion
of long, golden locks. I know, unbelievable. But the
deception doesn't stop there. Oftentimes stylists aren't able to achieve
their unrealistic ambitions, so they simply pump up the volume by stuffing in some styrofoam balls, which, as you can see,
it's business at the front and ball party in the back. Perhaps the most shocking
trick, yet the most impressive, is how they manage to get those waves of hair
dancing through the breeze. And believe it or not, it's all down to two little green guys. No, not aliens. Green humans in morphsuits. Their job is to essentially
use the little green rods to choreograph the model's hair and make it appear like
it's naturally cascading through the wind. Using green screen technology, these little fellas are later
cut out in post-production, and by the time it reaches TV, well we'd never suspect a thing. There's nothing quite
like TV magic, is there? So, what have we learnt? Well, if you actually want
hair like in the commercials, you're gonna need two green
guys, some styrofoam balls and a snipping taken from Cousin Itt from "The Addams Family." Available at all good retailers. Oh, and maybe, just maybe, the actual shampoo they're
trying to sell you, but I highly doubt it. Oh, I almost forgot, if you're interested in
seeing some of the other, slightly more hardcore
things that companies would never show you in their commercials, like butt-scratching McDonald's employees and maggot burgers, then check out my other video, what happens to your food
when you're not looking. It's uh, it's an eye opener, for sure. So which of these commercial
tricks shocked you the most? Let me know down in the comments. And thanks for watching.
(upbeat music continues)
