|
On Dec. 1, a McDonald’s corporate press release announced plans
to consolidate its media strategy, OMD Worldwide, a division of Omnicom
Group, Inc.
“The consolidation effort is intended to deliver optimum strategic
media efficiency, effectiveness and value to McDonald’s restaurants
and franchisees worldwide, while fueling greater innovation, creativity
and cross-border media opportunities,” the press release stated.
The idea of the Extra Value Meal is digested in Japan, Paris, London,
and even in the medieval town of Rothenburg, Germany. In this old
Bavarian town, all signs are made of wrought iron—including
Ronald McDonald’s famous Golden Arches.
McDonald’s is the U.S. Embassy of 118 countries, including
Israel, India, and Yugoslavia. New Zealanders on the South Island
will drive hours from Greymouth to Christchurch just to get a McDonald’s
hamburger.
When the local guides learned I carried a U.S. passport, they wanted
to say something nice about the land where I am from. They said: “We
love McDonald’s.”
Great, I thought. And so Ronald McDonald (arguably our nation’s
best international ambassador) gave Kiwi and Coloradoan a moment of
unity by representing the United States abroad.
“New Zealand is the only place in the world to sell the Kiwiburger,
which was invented by Bryan Old of McDonald’s Hamilton (New
Zealand’s largest city). He added a slice of beetroot, an egg,
lettuce and tomato to the Quarter Pounder burger to appeal to local
taste buds,” according to McDonald’s New Zealand’s
Web site - www.mcdonalds.com/countries/new_zealand/index.html.
I’m certainly glad I took the 15-hour flight back to Denver
instead of searching for the Golden Arches in Kiwiland.
If you have the opportunity to travel this winter break, and yearn
for a cup of coffee in the South Pacific, don’t let local taste
for beetroot and egg Kiwiburgers keep you out of New Zealand. “McDonald’s
New Zealand was the second country in the world to introduce McCafé
- a new style of dining featuring light meals and freshly roasted
coffee,” according to McDonald’s New Zealand’s Web
site.
Wait a second. “McDonald’s New Zealand”? The country
remains an English Commonwealth; surely it belongs to the Queen, and
yet the two- island country next to Australia is McDonald’s
New Zealand.
It appears that Ambassador Ronald McDonald and his tasty colonial
empire have done a marvelous job. His good commerce is welcomed everywhere.
He even seems to have some ownership of countries other than the United
States. And, he’s a clown.
“It’s quite foul,” Jefferson said. She was given
a burger, “put all in plastic packets,” that she felt
was far too wasteful.
She had never been in a McDonald’s and she “did not like
it and she will never be again.” She believes she was in her
late 50s when she first ate at a McDonald’s.
Jefferson, 78, does not appreciate the glaring neon arches which
recently appeared in her English seaside community. There were nice
houses there, “but there was some trouble because they put a
big yellow ‘M’ where they could see it.”
“The one near where I live,” in the Old Town, was built
near the car park, and “when McDonald’s was lit up at
light, they could see it from the houses,” and it took the value
off the houses, Jefferson said.
Her friend Charles enjoyed the sweet drinks served inside. Not many
people eat at the Bridlington McDonald’s, however. It’s
“in quite a nice area, and the Golden Arches annoy the community.”
“The people who live in these houses will never go to McDonald’s.”
People who are just doing their grocery shopping may eat at the restaurant,
which Jefferson has never seen busy. She feels the fast food enterprise
should have done better research.
“I came from a family that didn’t eat burgers; we lived
on good food.” She also feels McDonald’s contributes to
“fat children, fat people, fat everybody.”
She can not recall any McDonald’s advertisements in The Daily
Telegraph or on the television.
Her grandchildren, who are vegetarians like their mother, “wouldn’t
dream of going there.”
But plenty of people love the taste of a McDonald’s hamburger.
It’s all in good taste. You want fries with that Passport?
|
