Shrek To Market "Healthy" McDonald's Choices To Kids. What?
A chubby troll , or giant, or whatever Shrek is supposed to be isn't exactly the best spokesperson for healthy eating, but McDonald's is using him anyway. The McDonald's Shrek themed "Milk and Apples" campaign launches tomorrow.
It'll feature Shrek collectible glasses, Shrek Happy Meal toys and, uh, milk and apples. Other, less "healthy" options will also feature the big green guy, so... call us cynical. Cartoon character fast food marketing is cartoon character fast food marketing.
Incidentally, McDonald's idea of healthy food (according to its press release) includes "Chocolate Milk Jugs" and "Apple Dippers" with "optional low fat caramel dipping sauce." The chocolate milk has 170 calories and 25 grams of sugar. Regular milk has 100 calories. The apples have 35 calories, the dipping sauce? 70 calories and 9 grams of sugar. Healthier than the 250 calories in a package of small fries, yes. Healthy? Maybe stick to regular milk and plain apples. —MEGHANN MARCO
McDonald's Unveils Global 'Shrek' Movie Promotion [AdAge]
McDonald's
Brings the Joy of Shrek
to Customers Around the World [McDonalds]
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Comments:
Stephen Colbert did this same deal about 2-3 days ago with Shrek promoting one healthy thing, and then at the same time promoting about a dozen or more other things with more sugar than your heart could handle.
Yes, heres the link:
http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/index.jhtml?ml_vid...
Hope you can handle their Motherload popup thing.
Yes he's fat and yes he's ugly, but kids like him so why not use that to the advantage of healthy eating/daily exercise advocates everywhere?
Better to have him tell kids to eat apple dippers instead of dipping fries in ranch sauce.
They could also easily spin it to have Shrek empathize with kids that are already overweight to provide them encouragement. Skinny kids shouldn't be the only ones who go outside and play.
@SOhp101: "They could also easily spin it to have Shrek empathize with kids that are already overweight to provide them encouragement. "
I honestly do not ever see this happening.
The picture is b0rked
Healthy McDonalds...isn't that an oxymoron?
If they were serious about this, they would offer a healthy entre' to complete the 'healthy' happy meal. I'd suggest grilled chicken wrap, or perhaps a side salad with a grilled chicken strip julienned into a mini chef salad - or perhaps with a dish of mandarin oranges so a kid can have a mini version of the oriental chicken salad.
@MercuryPDX: Yeah, I know. It could be implied encouragement--a less than perfect role model that kids can actually relate.
In other news, the Bush Administration has chosen Paris Hilton to head up their new abstinence campaign.
We're talking about McDonald's here. People take kids to McDonald's because they get to eat burgers and fries. If you take away that, what's the point of going to McDonald's? It's fast food...it's just plain bad for you. I think the whole point is to only eat it once in a while as a special treat, not as a substitute for real food.
People take kids to Mcdonald's cause 1: its fast and 2: the marketting aimed at kids is massive. Even Treehouse which is supposed to have NO commercials gets Mcd's adds.
And it drives us nuts. The kids know how to pick out the Mcds, Wendy's and BK at a distance and even sing the jingles. AUGH!!!!
fear for us.
In England they had grilled chicken nuggets, which they have failed to introduce here. OK, they tasted like cardboard, and they were nasty, but the point is, it doesnt matter what the kids get on the side, because they're still eating burgers and fried nuggets.
Its for kids people, kids like shrek so they'll listen to shrek. Kids dont analyze the fact that shrek is a green overweight unhealthy ogre, nor do they care. Good for McDonalds. Anyone with a kid will tell you they want whats popular and that happens to be shrek, at least its healthy food.
@Craig:
Yes, actually it is. I'm doing a report of fast-food for school. I wouldn't wish McDemon on anybody after what I learned.
There's a lesson we want kids to learn: that fruit is inedible unless you douse it in double its weight worth of candy.
You didn't even mention the fat laden chunky shake they are rolling out tomorrow. It has green chunks - ewww, looks similar to what i imagine is ogre puke!
@TedSez: Hah! Quite! A responsible parent (who for some inexplicable reason is at Mickey D's) has to either remember to ask to leave out the caramel, or try to palm it before the kid reaches for it.
Has anyone else noticed that Shrek doesn't have that stomach bulge in some of the commercials?
This is about as healthy as eating a salad with a few greasy chicken strips thrown on top of it. LAME.
What happened to taking kids to McDonald's as a treat?
Yes, McDonald's is evil but I just don't think they have a responsibilty to parent my (future) children. Corporations will never act in a child's best interests! Hell, a lot of schools don't act in children's best interests anymore from what I've seen.
@missbrooke06:
What is the diffrence between schools and McDonalds? Neather seem to care about your kids, they just wanna get paid and get it over with.
He's an OGRE!!!