Around one million people in the world are affected by the scourge of obesity in the world. This figure is twice more than the rate at which it was 10 years ago and many doctors worry that this could further increase. Many attribute this rise in weight to the massive presence of fast foods in the streets and the proliferation of advertising. Among the several brands that come under the scanner, McDonald's is the most accused and the most sued fast food chain by customers.
McDonald's is the world largest chain of fast foods and its restaurants are found in 119 countries, serving almost 47 millions of customers every day. Despite its success all over the world, McDonald's has to face a lot of criticisms which alleged that the chain uses its political influence to increase its profits at the expense of people's health and the social conditions of its workers.
A documentary realized by Morgan Spurlock in 2004 exposed the failures of McDonald's to provide nutritional information about its food for its customers and accused McDonald's of contributing to obesity in the world.
However, we need to analyze the real situation. Can we really attribute the entire fault to the fast food? Aren't the parents also to be blamed for their lack of vigilance when it comes to feeding their children? Is Ronald McDonald, the mascot of the brand, a mentor of fat food for children? Should McDonald's change its marketing policy? And if so how? These are some of the pertinent questions doing the rounds with regard to obesity and fast foods.
We will examine the importance of the role of Ronald McDonald in the advertising and its influence on children. Later, we will study the problems faced by McDonald with regard to the obesity and finally we will try to elaborate some short and long-range plans for McDonald to implement.
[...] According to the previous survey, it appears that children don't pay attention to these health messages and are more focused on what they are watching: the images and characters of the ads. So, if McDonald's still wants to sell its products, it should just add health messages because a child even doesn't care about it as he is more focused on the characters and will still be able to make a difference between Ronald McDonald and Tiger Kellogg's (the mascot of Kellog's brand). [...]
[...] are some of the pertinent questions doing the rounds with regard to obesity and fast foods. We will examine the importance of the role of Ronald McDonald in the advertising and its influence on children. Later, we will study the problems faced by McDonald with regard to the obesity and finally we will try to elaborate some short and long-range plans for McDonald to implement. The power of advertising Joe Camel vs. Ronald McDonald When we compare Ronald McDonald to Joe Camel, the mascot for Camel cigarettes we need to look at the statistics and focus on the campaign that has the deepest influence on the consumer. [...]
[...] Besides, children who watch a lot of TV, want more toys that are seen in advertisements and eat more food that are shown on TV than children who do not watch as much television. But with an increase of 32% to a record 2.5 billion dollars in 1996, we can understand why marketers focus more on children right now. According to surveys, even if there is no evidence that obesity rates fall in some countries that ban food advertising, it doesn't mean that we don't have to sensitive children to healthy food. [...]
[...] It sounds difficult for Mc Donald t o eliminate Ronald Mc Donald from its ads because of the powerful influence of the fast food industry and also because Ronald Mc Donald belongs to the brand. As Mc Donald's CEO, Jim Skinner said “Ronald Mc Donald has never sold food to kids in its history of existence”. This statement is true. This clown character can have both negative and positive impact on children. In fact, it is clear that Ronald Mc Donald is an easy way to remember the brand and attract the youth with its hamburgers but it attracts children for consuming fast food, and it can also appear as a symbolic and a paternal figure, a friendly character which can suggest to children what they have to eat or not. [...]
[...] Besides, McDonald's supports sport, and is actively participating in international competitions. The company is a sponsor for lot a sports events such as football and tennis. As children are influenced by athletes like David Beckham and Michael Jordan, as they need to find a paternal figure to look up to as a role model. This was a clever marketing strategy by McDonald's to attract the youth to get involved in more physical activity and thus, promote its products. In 2005, McDonald's launched a massive advertising campaign to promote a balanced lifestyle which advises its customers to continue to love the "big Mac" but also to participate in sports. [...]
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