What is going on with McDonald's and their new commercials? They make men look stupid and weak and women look manipulative and controlling. And here's the best part; the whole campaign is built around the assumption that these people in their ads are, "smart" because they eat McDonald's. What they actually show however, are two couples playing shameful games with each other while eating Micky D's burgers and fries. How hiding the truth and scheming to have your own needs met became analogous with intelligence, I'll never know. It does unfortunately take negative stereotyping to a new low.
In one case a guy goes along with his girlfriend who is criticizing a mutual friend of theirs for being honest in his relationship about wanting to watch a game - it was football, I think. So he (the guy in the commercial) in turn fakes his answer to appease his girlfriend who is obviously testing him by asking what he thought about their friend who admitted wanting to do something other than what is girlfriend wanted him to do. Apparently, such an offense was punishable by breakup, which was evidenced when he envisioned himself being tossed to the curb as he weighed his answer.
He then proceeds to agree with his girlfriend that their friend was a jerk - basically for being honest - which produces a deep smile of satisfaction on her face. And this is supposed to be smart?
In the other spot, a woman is portrayed as being crafty and winsome because she traps her husband into going shopping for drapes after he makes an excuse to get out of doing something else around the house. This time, she is the one biting down into the beef patties as the voiceover points out how smart she is for choosing McDonald's, implying that it goes hand in hand with being able to also trick, or punish your husband. I'm not quite sure which.
Was that the best they had over in the ad room? From a sales, marketing and advertising perspective, it's a legitimate strategy; pick your target audience and connect with the people in it. But is that who McDonald's really thinks its customer is? Or, more importantly, is that who they want it to be? Do they intend to reduce people to the lowest common denominator and think that translates into sales? Or is that what relationships really look like in our country? Does it say that McDonald's really has their finger on the pulse of this nation? What a sad, depressing state, if they do.
Find Donna
Krysalis
Facebook
Twitter
