Where's Ronald McDonald? Corporate Clown Wanted for Questioning
Is Ronald McDonald a beloved corporate mascot or a sinister huckster who gets kids hooked on junk food?
Corporate Accountability International, a watchdog organization based in Boston, claims that through television commercials and by appearing at schools, libraries, hospitals and McDonald's restaurants, Ronald is marketing directly to impressionable children. The result they say contributes to diet-related diseases like obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
As part of a larger initiative to fight fast-food marketing aimed at kids, the organization has started the "Where's Ronald" initiative, a Ronald McDonald scavenger hunt in which activists track down the clown by photographing or videotaping him at public appearances.
"We need your help to expose the near ubiquity of the clown and the ways it is used to hook our kids on food that makes them sick," CAI says. The grand prize? A gift certificate to a "sustainable, healthy restaurant near the winning participant's home."
"Ronald McDonald is not used to directly promote our food, neither in advertising or personal appearances," McDonald's said in a statement to Slashfood. "We have a special relationship with children and the quality and great taste of our food play a major role in why families choose McDonald's."
McDonald's did not respond directly to questions about the Where's Ronald campaign, which the CAI hopes will shame the fast-food giant into curtailing, or someday eliminating, the clown's role in selling burgers and fries to kids.
"Outside of Santa Claus, Ronald McDonald is the most recognizable character in the world for children," says T.J. Faircloth, the group's research director. "He's very important to their business of building brand loyalty for unhealthy products. We wanted to raise awareness in a creative way and put pressure on McDonald's to change their marketing practices."
The organization provides the anti-Ronald activists with a "Where's Ronald" action guide, a seven-page manifesto that suggests they "recruit and train between one and five volunteers to help scout and document Ronald sightings." (Sightings can include internet screen-grabs and television commercials.)
The "Where's Ronald" hunt will last at least several months and the participant who documents the most Ronald sightings will win the gift certificate and other still-to-be determined prizes (though Big Macs are definitely out), Faircloth says.
CAI employees documented a recent appearance by Ronald at a McDonald's in Middletown, Mass., where the seemingly benign clown was greeting children and giving them stickers and puzzles or "Ronald paraphernalia" as Faircloth calls it. They were told that he was in town for several appearances at local schools as part of an anti-bullying program. And four years ago, McDonald's declared Ronald a 'health ambassador" to promote school fitness in elementary schools.
Libraries throughout the country frequently invite Ronald McDonald to make appearances because he generates such strong interest in childhood reading. After an appearance last August at the Harris County Library in San Jacinto, Texas, Circulation Assistant Hugo Ortega wrote on the library blog, "The children smiled and laughed as he performed one goofy act after another. The parents attending ... joined their children in their amusement of the beloved mascot."
And Ronald McDonald House offers sick and injured children and their families free lodging and social services while they're being treated at out-of town hospitals. Faircloth calls Ronald's promotion of reading and fitness part of McDonald's "nutriwash" of its unhealthy image.
"Ronald is literally everywhere," Faircloth says. "They say he's not actively promoting fast food. But he represents a brand that's inherently unhealthy. Is it time to retire Ronald? That's certainly the direction our members are pushing us."
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I've got to admit, this has got to be one of the most entertaining things I've read in a while. It's like a real life story of Where's Waldo, but once again, the character is completely fictional. Don't get me wrong; I don't hate fast food or corporations, so long as they behave themselves and don't try and worm themselves into everyone's lives ad nauseam. Sadly, they've totally crossed that line about 30 years or so ago. However, a good portion of us intelligent folk have recognized this issue and have the choice to either turn a blind eye or allow the problem to collapse under its own weight. The actual mascot of Ronald McDonald is harmless. I find it creepy, but that's just my immature self. Yeah, it's used as a corporate symbol and all that, but it's because we allow it to become symbolic. The people who defend the "Where's Ronald?" campaign claim that it's the reason for childhood health problems and obesity, but it's our fault that this happy figure has become that. Most of us like a Big Mac once in a while. It's tasty. But we live in a scientific world where we've figured out that eating that kind of food should not be an every day occurence. We know that too much of certain foods or additves cause diabetes, cancer, etc. Since we know that, then why are we letting our kids eat this crap all the time when we know it's not good for them? If you're on a road trip and you're low on cash, then get the kid a freaking Happy Meal. But it's not hard to make your kids a PB&J sandwich, and give them an apple and a cookie from Trader Joe's for lunch. If you're against the corporation and it's policies, don't eat the food and let the business suffer. If you don't want to screw up your kid's health, don't let them eat cheeseburgers every day, and tell them to get off the couch and play soccer at the park or something. Bless the hearts of all you holders of this campaign. Stop blaming these companies for our problems, and spend that time educating others about taking resposiblility for what they let their kids eat. We have the choice of letting corporations cause us problems, or we can reject them and allow our children to have a fun and safe diet. It's up to you. Tell the public to give the kids a balanced meal, a reasonable exercise routine, and stop letting them sit around playing video games all day. We don't have to be sheep, you know.
Corporate Accountability International, a watchdog organization based in Boston, claims that through television commercials and by appearing at schools, libraries, hospitals and McDonald's restaurants, Ronald is marketing directly to impressionable children. The result they say contributes to diet-related diseases like obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
As part of a larger initiative to fight fast-food marketing aimed at kids, the organization has started the "Where's Ronald" initiative, a Ronald McDonald scavenger hunt in which activists track down the clown by photographing or videotaping him at public appearances.
"We need your help to expose the near ubiquity of the clown and the ways it is used to hook our kids on food that makes them sick," CAI says. The grand prize? A gift certificate to a "sustainable, healthy restaurant near the winning participant's home."
"Ronald McDonald is not used to directly promote our food, neither in advertising or personal appearances," McDonald's said in a statement to Slashfood. "We have a special relationship with children and the quality and great taste of our food play a major role in why families choose McDonald's."
McDonald's did not respond directly to questions about the Where's Ronald campaign, which the CAI hopes will shame the fast-food giant into curtailing, or someday eliminating, the clown's role in selling burgers and fries to kids.
"Outside of Santa Claus, Ronald McDonald is the most recognizable character in the world for children," says T.J. Faircloth, the group's research director. "He's very important to their business of building brand loyalty for unhealthy products. We wanted to raise awareness in a creative way and put pressure on McDonald's to change their marketing practices."
The organization provides the anti-Ronald activists with a "Where's Ronald" action guide, a seven-page manifesto that suggests they "recruit and train between one and five volunteers to help scout and document Ronald sightings." (Sightings can include internet screen-grabs and television commercials.)
The "Where's Ronald" hunt will last at least several months and the participant who documents the most Ronald sightings will win the gift certificate and other still-to-be determined prizes (though Big Macs are definitely out), Faircloth says.
CAI employees documented a recent appearance by Ronald at a McDonald's in Middletown, Mass., where the seemingly benign clown was greeting children and giving them stickers and puzzles or "Ronald paraphernalia" as Faircloth calls it. They were told that he was in town for several appearances at local schools as part of an anti-bullying program. And four years ago, McDonald's declared Ronald a 'health ambassador" to promote school fitness in elementary schools.
Libraries throughout the country frequently invite Ronald McDonald to make appearances because he generates such strong interest in childhood reading. After an appearance last August at the Harris County Library in San Jacinto, Texas, Circulation Assistant Hugo Ortega wrote on the library blog, "The children smiled and laughed as he performed one goofy act after another. The parents attending ... joined their children in their amusement of the beloved mascot."
And Ronald McDonald House offers sick and injured children and their families free lodging and social services while they're being treated at out-of town hospitals. Faircloth calls Ronald's promotion of reading and fitness part of McDonald's "nutriwash" of its unhealthy image.
"Ronald is literally everywhere," Faircloth says. "They say he's not actively promoting fast food. But he represents a brand that's inherently unhealthy. Is it time to retire Ronald? That's certainly the direction our members are pushing us."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've got to admit, this has got to be one of the most entertaining things I've read in a while. It's like a real life story of Where's Waldo, but once again, the character is completely fictional. Don't get me wrong; I don't hate fast food or corporations, so long as they behave themselves and don't try and worm themselves into everyone's lives ad nauseam. Sadly, they've totally crossed that line about 30 years or so ago. However, a good portion of us intelligent folk have recognized this issue and have the choice to either turn a blind eye or allow the problem to collapse under its own weight. The actual mascot of Ronald McDonald is harmless. I find it creepy, but that's just my immature self. Yeah, it's used as a corporate symbol and all that, but it's because we allow it to become symbolic. The people who defend the "Where's Ronald?" campaign claim that it's the reason for childhood health problems and obesity, but it's our fault that this happy figure has become that. Most of us like a Big Mac once in a while. It's tasty. But we live in a scientific world where we've figured out that eating that kind of food should not be an every day occurence. We know that too much of certain foods or additves cause diabetes, cancer, etc. Since we know that, then why are we letting our kids eat this crap all the time when we know it's not good for them? If you're on a road trip and you're low on cash, then get the kid a freaking Happy Meal. But it's not hard to make your kids a PB&J sandwich, and give them an apple and a cookie from Trader Joe's for lunch. If you're against the corporation and it's policies, don't eat the food and let the business suffer. If you don't want to screw up your kid's health, don't let them eat cheeseburgers every day, and tell them to get off the couch and play soccer at the park or something. Bless the hearts of all you holders of this campaign. Stop blaming these companies for our problems, and spend that time educating others about taking resposiblility for what they let their kids eat. We have the choice of letting corporations cause us problems, or we can reject them and allow our children to have a fun and safe diet. It's up to you. Tell the public to give the kids a balanced meal, a reasonable exercise routine, and stop letting them sit around playing video games all day. We don't have to be sheep, you know.
