McDonald's Putting Toy Hummers In Happy Meals - NYT

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WHEN General Motors introduced the three-ton, 11-miles-to-the-gallon Hummer H2 four years ago, it redefined American extravagance. But now, with gas prices hovering at $3 a gallon and threatening to go higher, sales of Hummers are declining as Americans become increasingly conscious of gas mileage. McDonald’s, however, appears not to have gotten the message. This week, the restaurant chain started putting toy Hummers in children’s Happy Meal boxes, calling it the “Hummer of a Summer” promotion. Television and radio ads, which started running this week, feature a family riding in a Hummer on the way to a McDonald’s.

With enough visits to McDonald’s, children will be able to collect eight different Hummers in a variety of colors, including two versions of the H1, the original and most monstrous member of the Hummer family, which General Motors stopped making in June. The promotion runs until the end of August and is aimed at young boys. Girls can choose to get Polly Pocket fashion dolls in their Happy Meals instead.

Not surprisingly, environmental groups are appalled. Brendan Bell, an energy policy analyst at the Sierra Club, says that Hummers in Happy Meals are about as responsible as “dipping a Big Mac in the fry oil and serving it to your kids.” Mr. Bell says that McDonald’s is trying to make Hummers look cool, but that the vehicles are anything but. “The technology is passé,” he said. “For the H1 and H2, they’re running it off an engine that hasn’t been fundamentally redesigned since the 1950’s. What the next generation needs is better technology in our vehicles so that we can cut our dependence on oil and curb global warming.”

In a written statement, Bill Lamar, McDonald’s chief marketing officer, said the promotion was intended to bring “the fun and excitement of Hummer vehicles” to “McDonald’s youngest guests.” The company did not make anyone available for an interview.


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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/10/business/media/10adco.html?_r=1&oref=slogin