CNN/Reuters: Ronald McDonald becomes fitness guru (new TV ad)

[DeepModem Mom]

Ronald McDonald becomes fitness guru
The hamburger salesman and clown is getting an image makeover, as a fitness guru for kids.
June 8, 2005


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hamburger salesman and clown Ronald McDonald is getting an unlikely image makeover -- as a snowboarding, hoops-shooting fitness guru for tots.

The new athletic Ronald, McDonald's Corp.'s (Research) mascot for the last 42 years, will even be sporting a more form-fitting version of his trademark yellow jumpsuit.

In a television commercial that hits airwaves on Friday, an animated Ronald will be seen encouraging kids to get up off the couch and join him in kicking a soccer ball, juggling fruits and vegetables, and riding a skateboard with basketball star and fellow McDonald's spokesman Yao Ming.

Images of fruits and vegetables abound in the spot, while hamburgers and fries -- the foods McDonald's is known for -- are conspicuously absent.

The decision to leave out images of McDonald's foods was deliberate, an executive said, because the company wants its message to be about all food -- not just the food it sells at its 30,000 restaurants across the globe....


http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/08/news/fortune500/mcdonalds.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes

[tanyev]

1. They'd better give him new shoes, too.

Or a really, really big skateboard.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. LOL! Thanks for the pic, tanyev. nt

[KurtNYC]

2. Next to the clutter of "day is night" messages

coming from the Whitehouse, we have companies like WalMart and McD's who respond to criticism with ads which make claims which are 180-degrees counter to the criticism.

McDonald's dumped one of the original clowns -- Willard Scott -- when he put on weight. So in a sense this is nothing new strategically but it seems to be a new level of dis-assembly. I suppose a generous interpretation of these ads would be that McD's is telling us that we might be able to be healthy IN SPITE of eating McDonald's food.

[TheFarseer]

4. "animated Ronald"

is he going to be anime? Christ, they're outsourcing Ronald McDonald!

[Eugene]

5. "The decision to leave out images of McDonald's foods was deliberate..."

A pure diversion. Associate McD's with
a healthier lifestyle without cleaning
up their act. It's the customers' faults
for not burning off all those calories.

Yeah right! :puke:

[BiggJawn]

6. Can't wait to see him in yellow Lycra, red Sidi's and a yellow TREK...

Riding with Tyler..."So Healthy Eating makes you fast?"
"Yeah, Ronald, that and EPO..."

Corporations remind me SO much of Milo Minderbinder from "Catch-22" these days....

[Mika]

7. Just like Exxon is THE environmental company.

Good news Brothers and sisters: chocolate rations have been increased to 20 grams.

http://www.online-literature.com/view.php/1984/5

It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to twenty grammes a week. And only yesterday, he reflected, it had been announced that the ration was to be reduced to twenty grammes a week. Was it possible that they could swallow that, after only twenty-four hours? Yes, they swallowed it. Parsons swallowed it easily, with the stupidity of an animal. The eyeless creature at the other table swallowed it fanatically, passionately, with a furious desire to track down, denounce, and vaporize anyone who should suggest that last week the ration had been thirty grammes.