The social marketing campaign I chose is actually created by McDonalds. The campaign’s goal is to convince individuals that McDonalds can be a healthy restaurant to eat in. The campaign is effective although there are also cons. There are a few reasons why the commercial is effective it promotes voluntary action and provides initiatives. The cons are based on the prospective of the individual watching the commercial. Overall I believe this campaign and series of commercials probably shouldn’t be aired.
The campaign is effective because it convinces viewers that McDonalds is a healthy choice. One commercial is called “Happy Choices.” It’s aired in many other areas besides the U.S, for example, France, Australia, Belgium, and more. It expresses the happiness, bubbles, and fun McDonalds brings to children, therefore appealing to kids. The same commercial also shows milk jugs and apples and convinces parents that besides fun, health can be found eating at McDonalds. This campaign sells health and happiness which is predictably also the initiative. Another commercial that’s part of this campaign is called “Healthy Meal with Mom.” This commercial shows a family with two children. The older boy is always taking care of the younger boy throughout the commercial. It presents the struggle an older sibling can have with a younger one. During the commercial the mother takes her older son to eat a healthy and fun meal. They go back home to the father of the children and younger son all smiles. This commercial can appeal to many mothers and convinces them to reward their elder children with a healthy meal and happiness for taking care of their younger siblings. In general the effectiveness of this campaign targeting their audience is spot on therefore making it effective.
There are cons to this campaign but it greatly depends on the viewer. For example, a mother with more than one child going through the experience featured in the commercial will fully fall into the message of the commercial and campaign as well. If it’s any guardian with no nutritional background they will very likely support this campaign. On the other hand if someone has some nutritional background they likely will not. In many of these commercials the apples or vegetables are being dipped into high calorie and high fat dips. For example, the apples into caramel and vegetables into ranch. There has been much research into McDonald’s products and they have been accused of not using real meat or adding high preservatives in their food. If a parent sees these commercials as well as reading these articles then they will be aware of the harm McDonald’s foods might cost.
In general I do not agree with this campaign. Most of the food sold in McDonalds is high in calories, fat, and sodium. These are all things that lead to the major causes of death in the U.S such as heart disease and obesity. The happiness and fun portrayed in these commercials covers up the nutritional background implicated in the foods McDonalds serves. These commercials are only effective to those guardians with no nutritional background. Overall the campaign is a failure due to its effectiveness on a very narrow target audience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VuFCh-uUOY