The three main themes that I have identified from analyzing my data demonstrate the way that McDonald’s has shifted their advertising strategies and the image that they are trying to represent with their brand. Beginning with a small menu of hamburgers, french fries, shakes, and sodas, McDonald’s has kept their traditional items but also broadened the scope of their menu based on backlash they received from various health organizations and the wider community.
Among all advertisements I collected, there were approximately the same number of advertisements promoting “unhealthy” food items as there were “healthy” items; however, the time period had a large influence on the type of advertising, as nutrition awareness and healthier food options were not encouraged until closer to the year 2000. The definition of “quality” shifted from previously referring to convenience, quickness, and price of meal, to now referring to the quality of the nutrients within the food itself.
Additionally, the use of tie-ins and premiums are seen to be an important incentive to get children to eat healthier meals and still enjoy them. Happy Meals began including fruit and low-fat milk instead of only hamburgers and fries, which were still a success because children were excited to receive the toy within the box.
McDonald’s advertising strategies have changed drastically over the years, targeting various groups of people at once. Although many of their advertisements are geared towards children, people of all ages consume McDonald’s food. Since it is one of the largest and most well-known fast-food restaurants in the world, it is important that McDonald’s keeps the best interest of their consumers and creates a better image for themselves in terms of healthy eating and in their promotion of nutrition.
The range of CDC childhood obesity statistics that I analyzed from 1960-present all showed the same trend. Since 1963, child obesity rates have steadily increased, with only few slight decreases. Reports from 1963-1970 showed that 4.4% of children were obese, and the most recent report in 2018 stated that the percentage had reached 19.3%. The most significant increase occurred between 1976-2000. In 1976 the childhood obesity rate was at 5.5%, and by 2000 it had jumped to 13.5%. Within approximately 25 years, the child obesity rate had almost tripled in size. This rise in rates aligns with the timeline of McDonald’s switching to a different form of advertising in order to address this epidemic that was rapidly spreading.
During this transition period that began to show a more active lifestyle, there was also a change in the way McDonald’s created the advertisements themselves. At the beginning of McDonald’s evolution, a majority of the advertisements were static images and billboards. However, around the 1980s, television commercials and video advertisements became more common due to the increased popularity of technology. These two transitions happened along the same time frame, however no major correlation was detected. Video advertisements may potentially make it easier to depict active lifestyles with movement, but no direct correlation was made between the type of advertisement and the consumption rate of McDonald’s food.
