McDonald’s aims for hip with new Ronald ads

McDonald’s Corp. has launched a string of quirky television commercials that aim to transform family friendly mascot Ronald McDonald into a hip character that appeals to the coveted 20-something market.

The new ads feature a plastic version of Ronald McDonald, the well-known clown that first debuted as a McDonald’s spokesman in 1963, alongside characters like Bigfoot and a man in a hamster costume.

McDonald’s and its competitors are trying to boost their cool quotient as they target teenagers and 20-somethings. That age group has fewer big expenses, such as mortgages, and more of a willingness to use disposable income try new products.

The new McDonald’s spots are part of an ongoing effort to update the company’s 50-year-old brand, but some industry watchers said they appear to be a “me too” response to mascot campaigns from rival hamburger chains.

The ads come as Burger King’s new “King” character, best known for appearing in commercials that ran during National Football League games, caught the attention of both advertisers and consumers. And West Coast chain Jack In The Box Inc. has used a big white bubble-head mascot to boost interest in its brand.

“Burger King took advantage of a spokes-character gap in a way as McDonald’s moved to other things in advertising,” said Mark DiMassimo, chief executive of New York-based DiMassimo Brand Advertising. “The King is making a big impression ... so that’s got to burn up McDonald’s marketing people.

Rob Schwartz, executive creative director at TBWA/Chiat/Day, which developed the McDonald’s ads, defended their originality, but conceded that mascot advertising is becoming more popular.

“The campaigns are alike in sort of plastic only,” Schwartz said. “Between Jack, the King and Ronald, it is kind of an icon death match.”

In addition to Burger King, CKE Restaurants Inc.’s Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. chains have been particularly aggressive in courting young adults with quirky and sometimes risque TV commercials. Wendy’s International Inc., another large burger chain, said earlier this month it plans to focus on consumers aged 16 to 28.

Ronald and Bigfoot
In the McDonald’s commercials, a variety of characters encounter a plastic statue of Ronald McDonald sitting on a park bench. In one, Bigfoot finds the bench in a forest and mirrors Ronald’s relaxed pose.

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In another, a man in a hamster costume tells the inert Ronald what a great football mascot a hamster would make. One spot has a young woman warning the white-faced clown of “going a little too crazy with the sunscreen.”

According to McDonald’s USA Chief Creative Officer Marlena Peleo-Lazar, the ads aim to appeal to consumers’ emotional attachment to Ronald while also conveying a hipper feel.

“(Ronald) is cool,” Peleo-Lazar said. “By putting him into these things ... we just widen the berth of his coolness.”

In the three years since implementing an overhaul of its business, Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald’s has concentrated much if its marketing on women and young children.

At the same time, the chain’s two-year-old “I’m Lovin’ It” advertising campaign, which has included sponsorship deals with musicians like Destiny’s Child and basketball star Yao Ming, has helped the chain’s standing among young adults.

“They have spent more time trying to make it okay for you to go to McDonald’s with your friends because they ran into a branding problem where it kind of wasn’t socially acceptable for older kids,” said Morningstar restaurant analyst Carl Sibilski.