We all know that red-haired clown. The one that has a painted on smile, yellow jumpsuit, and is pushing Happy Meals at our kids. Yes, I’m talking about the poster boy for marketing to children, Ronald McDonald.
My child has never eaten McDonald’s, but still sings along to song in the happy meal commercial about gray skies and bad days disappearing. He still recognizes McDonald’s when we drive past. He is only 3 years old, and he is acutely aware of the burger brand. That is a problem.
Marketing to children is a problem. It has been proven that children are particularly vulnerable to marketing and when it’s a brand that sells unhealthy food, such as McDonald’s, they are preying on that vulnerability. Although Ronald McDonald may not be the first attempt at marketing to children, he has certainly been the most successful since his introduction in 1963. Here a 10 reasons it’s time to end Ronald McDonald’s reign and retire the marketing mascot for good.
10 Reasons to Retire Ronald McDonald
- Ronald McDonald is the Joe Camel of fast food. Do you remember Joe Camel? It seemed like the cartoon camel was trying to market unhealthy behavior to children, so he was canned. That unhealthy behavior was smoking, which leads to cancer. We already know that eating fast food leads to diet-related disease such as obesity and type-2 diabetes.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics says marketing to children under 8 years old is inherently deceptive. The FTC actually says deceptive marketing is against the law, so shouldn’t deceptive marketing to children be against the law?
- Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity says that advertising fast food to children sets them up for unhealthy food preferences that can last a lifetime.
- Childhood obesity rates are the highest they have ever been in history, and this generation is expected to have a shorter lifespan than us, and has been dubbed generation RX. Why are we allowing the predators inside our schools to make matters even worse?
- Research does not support the illusion of parental choice. In other words, when the deck is stacked against you as a parent, that isn’t real choice. Fast food marketing expands through all aspects of a child’s life, so they are infiltrated with the brand’s message. Illustrated below are just how many ways McDonald’s is undermining your parental choice.
- McDonalds markets to children more than any other fast food brand. Parents need a level playing field when it comes to providing them with healthy food choices. Moms are the more ethical target audience. Why not market to moms instead?
- Clowns are just creepy.
- Modern progressive burger companies do NOT send clowns to schools. Under the guise of teaching children about how to stand up to bullies, McDonalds sends their clown in full attire to schools. This is NOT an educational workshop, this is marketing.
- Equating happiness with happy meals is a dangerous suggestion to children. Fast food, and the marketing behind it, can lead to a fast food addiction and possible eating disorders.
- Schools are for education, not marketing fast food.
Tell McDonald’s You’ve Had Enough of Ronald
If you agree it’s time to give Ronald the boot (or clown shoe) and send him on his way, then let your voice be heard. Tell McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook to retire Ronald by sending him a letter, here.
Let McDonald’s know you are tired of their deceptive marketing towards children, and it all starts with Ronald.
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You all need to get a grip. McDonald’s is marketed as fun. Where else do you go for fun and a meal?? Does saladworks have a play area for kids? Does Panera have activities for kids while they eat plain jane food? If you don’t like it…don’t go. I have not stepped foot in a Starbucks or saladworks in 5 years. I don’t like salad. So I don’t go. I am a professional clown. You not liking clowns is not a valid reason to retire Ronald. Whether you like clowns or not McDonald’s was smart with their advertising before the PC police came along. Do your job as moms and teach your children proper nutrition habits. Don’t blame McDonald’s for you not doing your job.
Well McDonalds is marketing to my children inside the school…That’s wrong. But sorry, clowns are scary…just being honest.
Leah,
Thank you for bringing this issue to the attention of parents across the country. In my opinion, point #6 is particularly salient– rather than marketing to vulnerable and impressionable children unaware of the health consequences of their choices, McDonald’s should make the ethical choice and direct their advertising towards moms. As you mentioned, most modern burger companies have already abandoned this exploitative practice. On the other hand, McDonald’s seems to be digging in its heels more and more, undermining parents with Happy Meals, McTeacher’s nights, and the like. It is our responsibility as a community to protect our children from this egregious marketing, and it is writers like you who are crucial to our success– thanks again, and keep up the great work!
Thank you for all of your hard work, Leah. This is so important. Ronald is a part of the larger problem — diabetes, fast food, sky high industrial farming costs to the environment…the list goes on and on. Retiring Ronald would be a huge win for consumers, especially Moms. Corporate responsibility, in the midst of high rates of diet-related diseases, has never been more necessary.
Thank you for laying out this issue in a way that addresses the inherent, systemic problem of pushing junk food on children. In a world plastered with corporate logos and ads, schools should be the one place where kids are safe from predatory marketing. McDonald’s undermines that and should be held accountable for it’s abusive practices. Retire Ronald!
Leah,
I’m not a mother myself, but I am an aunt for my two young nieces aged 2 and 6, and I think about them every time I see McDonald’s. I think about how they’ve already been exposed to so many advertisements for Happy Meals, how they’ve already come to know and like Ronald McDonald, and it’s scary. McDonald’s does so much to turn children like my nieces into lifelong consumers, and we know what will happen to their health if they succeed. The fact that McDonald’s is taking advantage of kids developmental vulnerabilities, and actively working to undermine parents by marketing to children online, in schools, and beyond is why we need people like you to do the hard work of spreading awareness and engaging our communities to take action. As you’ve said, we are in the midst of a huge health crisis, and we owe it to them to stop corporations like McDonald’s from marketing dangerous junk food to our young ones. So thank you for writing this and for all that you do, it really matters. Keep fighting!
There are only 10 reasons to retire Ronald? 🙂 Couldn’t agree more, though, Leah. Corporate accountability and parental responsibility are complimentary in this case. How responsible would we be as parents if we stopped at what we can instill in our children at the dinner table? When a corporation can outspend all public health information campaigns to shape the food culture our children inhabit , it’d be some thing if we just patted our kids on the back on there way out the door to school and said, “remember what we talked about, ignore all the messages you’re inundated with, and just do the right thing.” Naive. If we’re truly concerned about community and children’s health, parental responsibility needs to be smarter than what this “ME” fellow describes.
It’s been common knowledge for decades that McDonalds’ foods are the worst in the fast food industry. It’s also well known that the quality of McDonalds’ foods is of little if any concern to the company moguls. It;s the profit and only the profit that counts. I have no doubt that McDonalds would feed kids sawdust if it could come up with a flavor and texture that the kids would swallow! And why not? It wouldn’t be fattening – except for the tons of corn syrup you would add. You are like the rest of the Republicans; integrity and honor are of no consequence to those making the financial decisions.