Parents not lovin' it!
What do you do when your 9-year-old daughter comes home with a report card featuring such good grades, it offers her a free McDonald's Happy Meal?
That was the situation facing Susan Pagan of Seminole County, Florida, USA. "She (her daughter) came home bubbly and happy about her report card," said Pagan. "On the cover was a McDonald's ad. I was blown away."
Having partnered with The School Board of Seminole County, McDonald's offered prizes in the form of Happy Meals for students achieving grades A or B whilst keeping good levels of attendance. The target audience? From kindergarten up to fifth grade.
Despite the complaint, district spokesperson Regina Klaers claims "as long as we've been doing it, it has never come to a head like this...the letter from one parent was the only complaint we've had". Prior to McDonald's, a similar rewards campaign from Pizza Hut had been running for 10 years. So, why the sudden uproar? Well, earlier in the year McDonald's, along with others, vowed to stop advertising directly to children under 12.
It's possible that Pagan isn't aware that Happy Meals of today can indeed consist of fruit as opposed to the cheeseburger of old. Is there a genuine cause for complaint? If so, are McDonald's or the school board to blame? Share your thoughts in the HEXUS community.
Source: adweek.com
