Such A McDonald's Move To Give Away Fake Little Fit Bits In Happy Meals
USA Today - Parents may not equate McDonald’s Happy Meals with physical fitness, but the fast-food giant is trying to change that with a new set of kids toys.
Instead of a plastic figurine, book or plush toy, McDonald’s is giving away activity trackers with Happy Meals in the United States and Canada for a limited time, according to McDonald’s.
The “step-it” trackers are part of a promotional campaign aimed at getting kids moving again.
And while some may wonder what a fitness tracker and fast-food have in common, the step-it is in line with McDonald’s move to push back at critics who say the business is pushing junk food to kids, according to Michelle Greenwald, Columbia Business School professor who is an expert in the food and beverage industry.
“They are doing something wholesome, and it gets you to maybe rethink and take another look because it’s surprising,” Greenwald said. “In marketing today you need to surprise people and jar them in order to reframe their thinking.”
——–
This is SUCH a McDonald’s move, I love it. Always trying to look healthy by offering salads and wraps and other nonsense, when in reality 98% of people go to McD’s to eat their feelings 1 Big Mac at a time. But this, right here, is the grand daddy of them all. Offering a fake Fit Bit in Happy Meals is reminiscent of the old days when they would make cartoon characters smoke cigarettes to get kids interested in it young. Sure, it looks all innocent, but that’s just getting the kids in the door. How long do you think that piece of plastic will work? 3 days? Then it’s time to go back and get another one. And then another one. And then next thing you know, the Happy Meal isn’t enough. The kid starts trying double quarter pounders. Slugging Cokes. Smothering their fries in ranch dressing. Happy Meals are the gateway drugs, but McDonald’s loves throwing a yogurt or a Fit Bit in the mix so people like Michelle Greenwald say “they are doing something wholesome”. Props to McDonald’s for winning again. That’s why there’s a McDonald’s on every block in America.
