Press Release

Today, we are releasing a recent national poll from Lake Research Partners, with some surprising and very encouraging findings.

But first, something that won’t surprise anyone: Ronald McDonald continues to be effective – and even continues to be liked. Two out of three Americans have a favorable impression of Ronald McDonald – the result of fifty years and (tens of) millions of dollars of corporate branding.

So why are we here today? Because here’s the surprising part: despite McDonald’s efforts to position their clown as model of health and wellness, about half the public would like to see Ronald retired. And the public’s appetite for retiring the clown is broad, traversing all key demographic, regional, and attitudinal lines.

Here’s how it breaks down: Over half (52%) favor stopping corporations from using cartoons and other children’s characters to sell harmful products to children. 47 percent specifically support retiring Ronald as a corporate mascot. And this isn’t just among certain segments of the public that we may expect to want Ronald to hang up his clown shoes. Pluralities of Americans—men and women, young and old, Democrats, independents, and even Republicans—want to retire Ronald McDonald.

Even more stunning, the belief that Ronald should retire isn’t just held by people who don’t like him. In fact, even people with a warm impression of Ronald think it’s time for him to go. Among those with a favorable impression of Ronald McDonald, 46% support retiring him. That’s even higher for parents of kids under 18.

What does this all mean? It’s a startling indication that McDonald’s deceptive marketing practices a problem for large swaths of the American public. Even people with a positive impression of the clown know that something is wrong with his use.