McDonald's launches TV ad campaign targeting gay men

McDonald's launches TV ad campaign targeting gay men

McDonald's is launching its first television advertising campaign targeting gay men.

The fast food giant's commercial - with the slogan 'Come as you are' - is to be aired on television in France.

news link
peace





[edit on 2-6-2010 by silo13]

What consenting adults participate in behind closed doors is their own affair. Isn't there a way we can keep it that way?

I mean, come on! Now ya can't even go and get a burger without being force-fed someone else's lifestyle? I don't care if Ronald McDonald wants to dress up like a 'clown', go for it, but can't he keep his 'clowning around' out of the fast food joint?

EDIT TO ADD:

I posted this thread late last night and I see now I should have explained my point in a little more detail. It seems some of you are either intentionally misreading the intent of my thread, or again, I didn't explain myself well.

Let me use Benevolent Heretic's response as a jumping off point here:

I think it's important for people to be confronted with the fact that gay people are "out there". They are a part of our culture and society. Just like straight people, women, handicapped people, black people, children, fat people and elderly people.

Exactly! So why single them out? If 'they' are just like everyone else why point the finger at them? Gay people want to be 'out' - who cares. It shouldn't matter if they're out or not. It's none of our business. Bunch a weirdos always looking snooping into other people's beds - labeling people by their sexuality. Those are the pervs!

As for me? I don't care who's bed my friends, neighbors, government officials are in, or not for that matter - And IMO it shouldn't matter to anyone else either. Some things are personal and should stay that way, not always be offered up for public fodder.

Tothetenthpower and Vagabondrobb Put it perfectly and in a nutshell(s)

It contributes to the divide and conquer mentality.

What McDonalds are doing here is taking ownership of a completely personal and human experience and exploiting it in a way that somehow equates to them being responsible for it.

Thank you!

peace

Oh, and for some of you who are on the attack I've got a little hint for you - something to keep the egg off your face: Not EVERYONE lives in the USA.


[edit on 2-6-2010 by silo13]

reply to post by silo13


Well since all advertising is a form of marketing your product to a select demographic, why not market to the gay people? There is enough items (read every item) marketed to every demographic out there, who cares if a company markets to gay people? It is their right to do so.

reply to post by silo13


WOW....just, wow.

Overreact, much??

Seems you're only now waking up to the fact that marketing has been aimed at the Gay market, for quite a long time already, and in many, many different sectors of the economy?

Tell ya what, Silo...don't patronize the place! And, while doing that, you might want to chill out a bit.

Besides, speaking of getting "bit" in the arse....eating at Mickey-D's will give one a HUGE target, back there, before too long anyway!!

(Just what we need...MORE overweight people....eh, won't work anyway, not on Gay men. They tend to take better care of their bodies).

Well the kid in the ad wasn't exactly out of the closet was he? If he was good ol dad wouldn't have made such a inane remark even if it was in innocence per say. The comment of being force fed someone elses lifestyle is a bit pushy as I think the gays have to be fed the "Straight" lifestyle everyday, ie, we can marry and do whatever we want in public yada yada yada, and you can't, or we don't think its ok for you to love, as you can't possibly love as we do... blah....
I say good job Mcdonalds for at least trying even if they did get it all pretty wrong, Still kudos for the effort.

We ALL walk amongst each other every single day weather we be gay straight, black purple, jewish, christian, buddist, muslim, whatever. The bottom line is WE ARE ALL HUMAN, and NOONE is better then the next guy. The point is we need to learn love and we need to get a handle on it real quick or all the post all over these threads of rapture and NWO etc are going to become alarmingly real and real fast at that.

If people were allowed to be themselves on a daily basis without strings attached it wouldn't be such a force fed issue as it would be as common as the nose on your face and you wouldn't even notice it.... The HATE must STOP
ok Im done for now... back to our regular program....

That's the stupidest commercial i've ever seen.

*adds yet another corporation to his life-long boycott list.

This is the product of our economy. Profit, profit, profit.

All about profits. It doesn't really matter what corrosive or pseudo-considerate messages they send out, as long as they get paid for it.


But then again, I am an enemy of this economic regime.

At the end of the day, the message is just, "Hey, man, you have money, and I want it in exchange for this stuff." "Why should I give you my money?" "You're gay, aren't you." "Yeah, so what?" "Being gay is pretty cool with us, friend." "You make a persuasive argument. Here are my currency units." "Sweet."

Can i say i hate McDonalds please

maybe i need to replace the 'Hate' with dislike in case it offends.

they have invaded our schools and are teaching our kids bad habbits

Originally posted by silo13
What consenting adults participate in behind closed doors is their own affair.

Isn't there a way we can keep it that way?

I mean, come on! Now ya can't even go and get a burger without being force-fed someone else's lifestyle?

Ronald McDonald? You want to dress like a 'clown', go for it, but keep the 'clowning around' out of your restaurant!

This add campaign, in my opinion, is going to come back to bite McD's in the butt.

[b

yo

i get what your saying, we dont all need other peoples live choices thrown in our faces, some people clearly dont like that but some people couldnt give a rats ass what anyone else does or how its publicly spammed on society (like me lol).

to counter your comment, it could be said that ever scince tv and advertising on tv has existed, the gay communities have had nothing but OUR live choices (sexuality ect) forced down their throats....

when you think about it ... scince i can remember, alot of tv and life as we know it is based around the story of the good old man meets woman story ... how many adverts have you seen with couples in them, in the pictures, driving in their car, being romantic and ect... now compare it to adverts with gay people in them (potrayed as gay people... not litrely if the actors are gay).

its funny how if you step into someone else shoes for a second you can see a whole other side to the story ... you may not like people being gay on tv, but maybe gay people dont like seeing strait people on tv either!

live and let live!

Makes me sick.

Macdonalds and all other coporations should not have the right to masqurade around the world as if they have the interests and values of a normal human being.

What McDonalds are doing here is taking ownership of a completely personal and human experience and exploiting it in a way that somehow equates to them being responsible for it.

Also, what really disgusts me about this sort of advertising is that the corportion snuggles sneazilly up to the younger generation, it's as if Ronald is saying 'hey kids, Ronald McDonald is part of you're crew, come hang out and eat s***'.

At least when I was a kid and somebody in my class had a McDonalds birthday, half of my generation physically shook at the thought of that demented clown handing us a happy meal. The thought still bothers me some nights.

But today advertising has become much cleverer and unfortunately that means that Ronald and his croneys will become increasingly richer- at the expense of probably a large proportion of the planet evolving toward something that might resemble living, breathing and slightly sweaty dollops of instant mash potato, sunken helplessly into their sofas, with tiny little squint eyes and black gaping mouths, moist skin permanatly encrusted into the fabric...



[edit on 1-6-2010 by vagabondrobb]

I hope it does come to the states. I think it's important for people to be confronted with the fact that gay people are "out there". They are a part of our culture and society. Just like straight people, women, handicapped people, black people, children, fat people and elderly people. They are a part of us. Sticking one's head in the sand and pretending they don't exist is an option, but I don't think public companies like McDonald's should join the "head in the sand" gang.

I'm still not going to eat at McDonald's, but I think this is a gutsy move.

Originally posted by weedwhacker
reply to post by silo13

 

WOW....just, wow.

Overreact, much??

Seems you're only now waking up to the fact that marketing has been aimed at the Gay market, for quite a long time already, and in many, many different sectors of the economy?

Tell ya what, Silo...don't patronize the place! And, while doing that, you might want to chill out a bit.

Besides, speaking of getting "bit" in the arse....eating at Mickey-D's will give one a HUGE target, back there, before too long anyway!!

(Just what we need...MORE overweight people....eh, won't work anyway, not on Gay men. They tend to take better care of their bodies).

LOL! You go girlfriend! SNAP!
2nd line

reply to post by silo13


Oh, and I guess I should add....there are plenty more where that came from.

(Looks like y'all will have to boycott 'Pepsi' products, now, too...huh!)



Gets harder to choose, when minds are so dirty....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OH! And you're REALLY gonna love this one, too!!!

'Heinz'! (How was your barbeque last weekend??



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time to just pull the covers over your eyes, I guess...(psst....life is happening all around you....):







[edit on 1 June 2010 by weedwhacker]

Come on MacDonalds, get TRULY controversial.

Instead of this girl boy, how about a Democrat, Pro-choice, Illegal immigrant Jew talking to his Muslim, Republican, Pro-Life, TEA Party boyfriend,
"Hey, my Arab-hating, twin tower busting, wife-beating Mossad father is coming, gotta go!"

I would watch that commercial.

okay, a closeted kid and horrified, shocked friends are the motifs in which these ads market to gay men? that's nuts! the heinz one was a little better, but still seemed driven by the macho stereotype being turned on its ear...meh...not impressed!
maybe they think marketing to some people's more negative experiences is a winner. hell, it's madison avenue, they probably know!
still, big fail in terms of reflecting cultural reality. or progressing it in any way!

reply to post by joechip


I'd venture to guess that a LARGE percentage of young gay kids are not "OUT", especially to their parents. So there is definitely a target audience here. And the ending line... "Come as you are" is very inclusive, showing acceptance to them whether they're out or not.

Ohh Mcdonalds.

You see this is the problem. I agree with the OP, Keep it in the bedroom. There's no need to parade your sexuality for all to see.

Mcdonald's is contributing to the problem of homophobia by forcing it down your throats so to speak.

It contributes to the divide and conquer mentality.

~Keeper

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


you have a good point about the ending line, "come as you are" but it did strike me as odd and ironic considering the situation portrayed.
yeah, i agree they have their target audience in young closeted teens...just seems kind of sad and exploitative of a situation that runs the negative spectrum from uncomfortable to downright dangerous.
but like i said earlier, ad agencies certainly know how to market using sex, using fear, using sexual fear...i just consider it well behind the actual curve of where most people are these days and reinforces negative patterns. i didn't care for the ads for that reason. they may well be relatively effective.

edit to clarify

[edit on 1-6-2010 by joechip]

[edit on 1-6-2010 by joechip]

Originally posted by silo13
What consenting adults participate in behind closed doors is their own affair.

Isn't there a way we can keep it that way?

I mean, come on! Now ya can't even go and get a burger without being force-fed someone else's lifestyle?

Ronald McDonald? You want to dress like a 'clown', go for it, but keep the 'clowning around' out of your restaurant!

This add campaign, in my opinion, is going to come back to bite McD's in the butt.

I wonder if this add will make it to the States?

news link

peace

[edit on 1-6-2010 by silo13]

That was kinda of an inane statement. After all, McD's has been marketing to African American's and children and for years now. Did that make you uncomfortable?

Do you really need black culture shoved down your throat? That's what you are saying, right?

Oh those damn kids being shoved down my throat. Screw those F,N happy meals.

Hey.... they have a right to market to whatever group they want to.

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
I agree with the OP, Keep it in the bedroom. There's no need to parade your sexuality for all to see.

There's no need to "parade" your race, gender, age or profession either, but McDonald's has targeted all of these demographics, too. Why should gay people be different?

Mcdonald's is contributing to the problem of homophobia by forcing it down your throats so to speak.

I disagree. It's desensitization. The more the homophobics see that gay people are part of our world, like it or not, the more used to them they will become. No one is FORCING homophobics to watch these commercials or eat at McDonald's. But McDonald's is putting a message out there: We like you as you are. If you have money, come see us.

It contributes to the divide and conquer mentality.

Can we blame mostly black shows for contributing to the divide and conquer mentality?