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Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

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Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#131

Post by mjballs »

bluishgreen wrote: post #58

My 3 year old nephew sometimes slips, falls down and cries. His parents wiggle a colorful toy sometimes and he forgets he fell down, forgets he is still hurting and runs behind the toy. This ad reminds me of the toy. Fast food is bad. I am not interested in the question to start with, so I won't bother with the given answer. thank you very much. That said, sadly this is a good ad campaign, because sadly most of us mo…

sometimes, in a pinch, i use mcdonalds to hit my proteins/carbs/fats macros and calorie count because these stats are so well published (i even have my favorite quarter pounder minus dressing combo with milk and a healthy side memorized!). it does have its place with people on a sensible diet

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#132

Post by vecinu »

mbesto wrote: post #119
waterlesscloud wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a no-cost honesty play all around. Everyone knows the food in ads doesn't look like the food in the store. No one really cares. The few who do care weren't going to eat there anyway, so their opinions are wholly irrelevant. The get the benefits of being honest with none of the cost. It's a total win.

Exactly. People don't go to McDonald's because the food looks right. They go because no matter where you are in the world the experience is same (or at least roughly the same) - quick food that tastes good. Until humanity isn't faced with being rushed to eat, I don't see McDonald's going anywhere soon. I used to be from the school of thought that this marketing was "bad" or misleading the consumer. I think quite the…

My personal qualm with McDonald's lies in its nutritional and health values. Surprisingly, they have adapted their products to suit popular opinion (salads, low-fat items, etc...). I think McDonald's won't go anywhere even if humanity IS faced with a food crisis, since it's easy to make and cheap.

I totally agree about advertising exposing a human's weakness.

Regarding BMW, I know someone who purchased a BMW just to go to auto club meets and meet new people. So far, he says the car has landed him opportunities he would have missed by not driving the car and surprisingly, it has impressed some ladies. I'm not one to comment on the quality of his new 'contacts' but it is what it is.

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#133

Post by soldermont001 »

On a hot summer day I ordered an ice cream cone at a random McDonald's in Vienna, and when it didn't look as enticing as the picture, I expressed a child like disappointment. They immediately took it back and made me another one that looked like the picture. That made it taste even better.

On the other hand, also in Vienna, in winter I ordered a bagel and asked if they could toast it for me. The lady responded in a strong Russian accent "Das ist ein kalt produkt!" No amount of persuasion or rationalizing could get her to put the f'ing bagel in the f'ing toaster right behind her. ;-)

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#134

Post by blantonl »

vecinu wrote: post #132
mbesto wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. People don't go to McDonald's because the food looks right. They go because no matter where you are in the world the experience is same (or at least roughly the same) - quick food that tastes good. Until humanity isn't faced with being rushed to eat, I don't see McDonald's going anywhere soon. I used to be from the school of thought that this marketing was "bad" or misleading the consumer. I think quite the…

My personal qualm with McDonald's lies in its nutritional and health values. Surprisingly, they have adapted their products to suit popular opinion (salads, low-fat items, etc...). I think McDonald's won't go anywhere even if humanity IS faced with a food crisis, since it's easy to make and cheap. I totally agree about advertising exposing a human's weakness. Regarding BMW, I know someone who purchased a BMW just to…

Regarding BMW, I know someone who purchased a BMW just to go to auto club meets and meet new people.

I have to admit, that is a new one. Did he purchase an M5 or other super expensive/powerful BMW to go to auto club meets? Or other model? In some areas of the USA, a 3/5/7 series BMW is a run of the mill luxury car.

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#135

Post by meric »

ff0066mote wrote: post #93

Ever been to Japan? The burgers and fries at McDonalds there are not lukewarm or squished like you get here in America, rather they're hot, toasted, and all puffed up. They're also more expensive.

In China too. There, McDonald's is a luxury. (A meal would cost several hours of wages.)

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#136

Post by meric »

cremnob wrote: post #114
Codhisattva wrote: post #98

Has HN jumped the shark? #cantbelievethisisatthetop

I'm pretty proud, this is my first submission on the frontpage and it's number 1.

It certainly demonstrating the usefulness of a well-executed marketing manoeuvre.

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#138

Post by spython »

Oh I like the "sloppy" feel of this video - showing other members of the film crew in the background, microphone in the car and careless camera movements. While those are normally errors that are easy to avoid, in this case it communicates a live, not staged feel, and by extension - honesty. Pretty well engineered, though the excessive color grading diminishes the effect a bit.

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#139

Post by elithrar »

tptacek wrote: post #123
planetguy wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

McDonald's is in a fortunate/unfortunate position in that they can afford to have an ad campaign based upon honesty, because the unvarnished truth is still a lot better than the stuff that an awful lot of people already believe about them. I've heard many of these urban myths repeated in the wild by otherwise intelligent people: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonalds_urban_legends My favourite fact about most of thes…

You know, I don't believe most of the urban legends about McDonalds, and there are things they do that I can even respect (for instance, their contribution to french fry science [really], or their [very, very, very, very] gradual adoption of humane farming guidelines.) But make no mistake that McDonalds is a business that is, if not as harmful as Philip Morris, gradable on the same scale. For the most part it's a com…

> Also their burgers are pretty gross.

Some people must think they taste "good enough", given their popularity. Convenience and price obviously play big roles here, but they are also likely choosing McDonalds over other options on at least some basis of taste.

> But make no mistake that McDonalds is a business that is, if not as harmful as Philip Morris, gradable on the same scale. For the most part it's a company whose core business model is "leverage unfathomably vast marketing resources to coerce large numbers of people into making the least healthful dietary choice available to them at any given moment".

In Australia, they actually [no doubt due to social pressures] a large range of "healthy options" that are actually half-decent. I'm not sure whether they offer this stuff in the US, but compared to the numerous fried chicken, roast chicken and Burger King restaurants here, they are leagues ahead.

Note that I'm not defending their past behaviour-which I think we can agree was abysmal-but they have at least tried to reform and for a business of their size and brand, is no easy feat.

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#140

Post by potatolicious »

tptacek wrote: post #123
planetguy wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

McDonald's is in a fortunate/unfortunate position in that they can afford to have an ad campaign based upon honesty, because the unvarnished truth is still a lot better than the stuff that an awful lot of people already believe about them. I've heard many of these urban myths repeated in the wild by otherwise intelligent people: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonalds_urban_legends My favourite fact about most of thes…

You know, I don't believe most of the urban legends about McDonalds, and there are things they do that I can even respect (for instance, their contribution to french fry science [really], or their [very, very, very, very] gradual adoption of humane farming guidelines.) But make no mistake that McDonalds is a business that is, if not as harmful as Philip Morris, gradable on the same scale. For the most part it's a com…

Can't we say the same things about just about any business?

> "but there's a difference between an occasional indulgence"

Indeed...

> "and the business model that depends utterly on persuading the most persuadable people to harm themselves, for no other reason that they were persuadable"

You've lost me. You compare McDonald's to Philip Morris - even though one produces a highly addictive substance and the other produces (crappy) hamburgers. Last I checked, burgers are non-addictive.

In what way is McDonald's core business model dependent on something more than "occasional indulgence"? If we are to play the game that a business can only succeed if people are mindlessly, constantly, repetitively consuming its products, then we should be beating down the doors of, say, Redbox. After all, their business model works best if everyone sat on their asses all day doing nothing but watch movies.

I do not see the argument at all that McDonald's business hinges on the abusively high consumption of their foods. They are in no way worse than any number of peddlers of less-than-healthy foods. Where is the outrage for Ben & Jerry's? Frito Lay? Campbell's?

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