The University of Houston Pranksters Made It Into a Real McDonald’s Ad

Jevh Maravilla and Christian Toledo went to great lengths to hang a fake McDonald’s poster with themselves in it at a Pearland McDonald’s— but now they’re in a legit McDonald’s ad. The two University of Houston students’ prank went viral this fall, racking up more than 250,000 retweets and attracting the attention of Ellen DeGeneres. Maravilla and Toledo appeared on The Ellen Show, where they each picked up a $25,000 check from McDonald’s and the promise of appearing in a campaign for the fast food chain.

McDonald’s just released the ad for the digital campaign for its Triple Breakfast Stacks, and there’s an appearance from Maravilla and Toledo. Check it out below around the 15-second mark.

“It’s all because we put up a poster,” Toledo said in a behind-the-scenes video from the set. “If I woke up right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a dream.”

Beyond the fun of pulling the prank, Maravilla hoped that the poster he made could spark a conversation about bringing more racial diversity to the advertisements hanging on the walls of the McDonald’s. McDonald’s released the following statement about the Maravilla and Toledo’s journey from fake poster to real ad:

McDonald’s commitment to diversity in casting and language is a core tenet of the brand as it reflects all our customers, and we enjoyed involving Jevh and Christian in our national marketing process to celebrate their hard work and creativity. As a brand, we appreciate the honest perspective and conversation that Jevh and Christian initiated with their poster.

• University of Houston Student Pranks McDonald’s With Fake Ad Poster Featuring Himself [EHOU]
• The UH Students Who Pulled That McDonald’s Poster Prank Went on ‘The Ellen Show’ [EHOU]