Today’s US Today (which I was reading during lunch at my workshop) carries an article about how McDonald’s is kicking off a school PE program.This program, called “Passport to Play“, provides children with a passport for various international sports such as Boomerang Golf (from Australia), Mr. Daruma Fell Down (from Japan), Korfball (from Holland), and Hide the Snake (from the Vatican). Of course, the passport is emblazened with the golden arches. Why do they have the program? According to Bill Lamar, McDonald’s chief marketing officer, “This is part of our ongoing committment to having children realize the importance of eating right and staying active.”
I guess the marketing department of McDonalds defines eating right as eating at McDonalds. I’m just loving it.
We all need to remember the teachings of Alton Brown: Ronald McDonald doesn’t care about you… and neither does that little minx Wendy. Your family cares about you and feeding you right. Corporate entities care about making money. McDonalds is not doing this campaign to get kids to eat healthy. That’s like believing that WalMart positioned the water and food supplies near the hurricane areas in order to benefit the survivors. Nonsense: they positioned them there so they could sell them faster. It was just good luck that they were able to appear to be a good citizen by helping folks out.
McDonalds is doing this for the same reason there was a cartoon camel: Get the logo out in front of children, and they will buy.
My prediction: With the way the “obesity epidemic” is being vilified in the media and by the medical establishment, we will soon seen lawsuits about fast food marketing… just like we saw them about tobacco marketing. This attempt to market might come back to haunt them. Just imagine, 20 years from now, having to show your ID that you’re 18 in order to buy fast food. Sorry son, you’re too young… it’s granola for you.
