Getting Through Parents
So, assuming the near ubiquity of advertising, the marketing calculated to compel kids to pester, the reach of McDonald’s into places where parents can’t be, and the appeal of “kid-friendly” environments like McDonald’s PlayPlace (where parents can relax while the little ones run wild) wasn’t enough, there’s also McDonald’s strategy to just go through parents.
With consciousness growing about the unhealthiness of McDonald’s-style fast food for kids, the “gatekeepers” (a term coined by McDonald’s to refer to moms and dads) are increasingly making a concerted effort to maintain control of the gate despite all the pressures. So McDonald’s current promotions are aimed at building brand trust among mothers in particular.
In a series of new television ads, McDonald’s appeals to mothers, putting its healthiest offerings and Happy Meal modifications out front. The appeal of such “healthier choices” may disarm “gatekeepers,” but that doesn’t mean children will get a healthy meal or make “healthier choices.”
The main entrée in Happy Meals is still burgers and fried chicken nuggets. The healthier choices are, as has been mentioned before, nominally healthier. The brand identification children will make and carry into adulthood is with McDonald’s as a burger corporation. Ronald may hawk the occasional salad, but he’s fundamentally a “hamburger-happy” clown.
What’s more, recognizing that an endorsement of their brand’s nutritional quality is strongest from one mom to another, McDonald’s has directly enlisted mothers in recent public relations efforts. Beginning in 2007, McDonald’s began recruiting ‘regular moms’ to take a corporate-led tour behind the scenes of McDonald’s operation and share their experiences as ‘Quality Correspondents.’ The hope: if they could get a racially-diverse and photogenic group of moms to reassure other ‘gatekeepers’ that they can give their kids a Happy Meal and still be a good parent, it might be possible to overcome the stigma of fast-food. So while the independence of these mommy bloggers is questionable at best, the motivation of McDonald’s is clear.
At base parents are working against the stream even after they’ve been persuaded to make McDonald’s a regular stomping ground. Their children will have already been bombarded with messages and images from the corporation urging their appetite for low-quality food that is high in fat, sodium, and sugar. Once this appetite forms it is hard to buck. All of these ingredients have a particular pernicious affect on a child’s tastes and cravings while their bodies are still developing.
In sum, we all “deserve a break.” Children deserve a break from this ubiquitous corporate icon and the targeted marketing tactics designed to manipulate their psychological and physical appetites. Parents deserve a break from the nagging and pestering that the clown’s tactics foster. We all need a break from Ronald McDonald.