Is McDonald's Advertising Unethical?

McDonald's spend over two billion dollars each year on advertising: the Golden Arches are now more recognised than the Christian Cross. Using collectable toys, television adverts, promotional schemes in schools and figures such as Ronald McDonald the company bombards their main target group: children. Many parents object strongly to the influence this has over their own children.

McDonald's argue that their advertising is no worse than anyone else's and that they adhere to all the advertising codes in each country. But others argue it still amounts to cynical exploitation of children - some consumer organisations are calling for a ban on advertising to children. Why do McDonald's sponsor so many school events and learning programmes? Are their Children's Charities genuine philanthropy or is there a more explicit publicity and profit motive?

Will This Work?

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes hopes to put more TV on the internet, but he's going to make consumers prove they've paid for it. His plan is to put all cable programming on the web in places such as Hulu, MySpace, Yahoo TV, or even YouTube. Of course, there's a catch. To get it you'll have to prove you subscribe to pay TV through cable, satellite, or telco. I believe it is going to be hard to get consumers to pay for something that they are used to getting for free. There are so many shows available for free online now that it will be difficult to get consumers to pay for shows online. For this to work, all internet T.V. providers are going to have to stop giving away free access.

Interesting Quote...

“Advertising in a down economy is even more important than advertising during the good times,” says Joyce Gioia, president of the Herman Group, a firm of strategic business futurists in Greensboro, N.C. “That’s when you can build market share. That’s when you have less competition for share of mind. While others are in a cocoon, hibernating until things blow over, it’s a great time to invest in your business."

Awesome Job Heath!

Well Deserved Award!!!

Heath Ledger's Oscar legacy, his best supporting actor trophy for the madly villainous Joker in "The Dark Knight," is destined to pass into the hands of his daughter, Matilda.

His Academy Award will be held in trust by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and given to Matilda Ledger, now 3, when she turns 18.

The Oscar ceremony turned solemn as Ledger received a standing ovation from his Hollywood colleagues for his role in the latest Batman saga.

Ledger died in January 2008 of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs at age 28. His parents and sister spoke on his behalf Sunday.

Very Odd Sponsorship - In My Opinion

JCPenney will sponsor Rascal Flatts' tour for the next two years as the "Rascal Flatts American Living Unstoppable Tour." The tour will promote American Living, the retailer's affordable, all-American lifestyle brand developed exclusively by Polo Ralph Lauren's Global Brand Concepts. The fully integrated sponsorship will kick off June 5, with the tour hitting approximately 60 cities across the nation each year. The tour is supporting the band's new "Unstoppable" CD out April 7.

In conjunction with the tour, Rascal Flatts has written a new song inspired by the spirit of the brand titled American Living, which will serve as the soundtrack for the new American Living commercial. The song will only be available on a special version of the Unstoppable CD sold at JCPenney stores.

Where are the automotive ad dollars going?

Print and TV advertisers may be feeling the pain of lost auto ad dollars, but auto is a growing category for cinema. Car companies are increasingly turning to movie theaters as a primary medium for advertising their new launches.

Both Screenvision and National CineMedia, which are running national schedules for Nissan and Kia, expect the auto category to be up in 2009. For Nissan, cinema advertising is the core element of its marketing for the 370Z, reinforced with only a smattering of network TV spots. "Cinema is the broad-reach medium. It is more conducive to a spring and summer launch, when TV viewership is down," says Nissan executive Chad Jacoby.