New McDonald’s Ad Campaign

Analysis:

This news story is nothing short of a promotional spot for McDonald’s. It could be news to report on this new marketing plan by McDonald’s, if it was then followed up by comments from musicians, cultural critics or health professionals to get a different perspective on the use of rap music to sell hamburgers. We found one response from a rap artist that was critical of McDonald’s where they used their own rap lyrics, as well as a response from a well-know west coast radio personality Davey D.

The other aspect of this story that is questionable, was the banter by the news reader at the end when he says “Or you could watch MTV Cribs and the houses would be even bigger.” Viewers should ask themselves what purpose does it serve for the inclusion of such a comment and what does it say about what the news reader thinks about rap artists in general?

Story:

News reader #1 – Well the Golden Arches are offering to make rappers richer than they already are.

News reader #2 – This summer McDonald’s wants rap artists to help promote their Big Mac burgers, so the fast food giant wants rappers to include the lyric Big Mac in their music, and McDonald’s will pay them $1 to $5 every time that song is played. How often do you hear the same song played on the radio in just one day? Well, a popular song can air 350,000 times a year, so they could stand to get some money back.

News reader #1 – Or you could watch MTV Cribs and the houses would be even bigger.

News reader #2 – You are hip.

Total Time: 33 seconds