The 47-second ad shows a gay teen seated in a fast-food restaurant, talking to his boyfriend on his mobile phone. He promptly hangs up when he sees his father returning with a tray of McDonald's food. The father, unaware of his son's sexual orientation, proceeds to joke about the son's all-male class at school. It's too bad, he says, else he could get all the girls.
The ad, which is one in a long-running French campaign that uses the slogan "venez come vous etes," meaning "come as you are," has become a viral Internet sensation attracting over two million views on Youtube since it was uploaded three weeks ago and a slurry of commentary on gay and media blogs.
In a wide-ranging interview with Don Thompson, Chief Operating Officer and No. 2 post worldwide, Michael Oneal of the Chicago Tribune asked to discuss why the ad had not stirred controversy in France where it aired and instead attracted controversy in the US where it has not and will not air on television.
Right after saying that "markets, cultures are very different around the world," he offered his religious views without being prompted. "I've never shied away from the fact that I'm a Christian. I have my own personal beliefs and I don't impose those on anybody else."
He added: "I've been in countries where the majority of the people in the country don't believe in a deity or they may be atheist. Or the majority of the country is Muslim. Or it may be the majority is much younger skewed. So when you look at all these differences, it's not that I'm to be the judge or the jury relative to right or wrong. Having said that, at McDonald's, there are core values we stand for and the world is getting much closer. So we have a lot of conversations. We're going to make some mistakes at times. (We talk) about things that may have an implication in one part of the world and may be the cultural norm in another part of the world. And those are things that, yes, we're going to learn from. But, you're right, that commercial won't show in the United States."
He went on to acknowledge in the interview published on Jun 13 that, "there have been no negatives coming out of France" with respect to the ad.
Blogger and marketing consultant David Allen Ibsen wondered aloud why the press has been covering the story as if it was "some gay-targeted campaign to get homosexuals to eat Big Macs."
Pointing to SlashFood's headline: "McDonald's Targets Gay Customers in French TV Commercial", he argues that McDonald's isn't targeting gays. "They are targeting everyone by featuring a touching father/son moment. It is kind of like including a blonde-haired woman in an ad and writing a story with the headline 'McDonald's targets blondes."'
Nathalie Legarlantezec, a spokeswoman for McDonald's, told French media: "We wanted to show society the way it is today, without judging: there's obviously no problem with homosexuality in France today."
Ibsen concluded his post saying "when an ad like this is NOT news, is when Americans can demonstrate their acceptance of such social issues."
While the ad is attracting criticism from conservative groups, it is also being held up as proof that McDonald is for not doing enough to engage its LGBT consumers in the US.
A week after the video went viral, the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce sent McDonald’s a scathing letter reminding them of the "souring state of relations between (the) two organizations" and to "express (their) utter dismay at the blatant geographic pandering to the LGBT community in the recently released TV ad in France, while McDonald’s has continued to distance itself from the LGBT segment in the United States."
The NGLCC says it has been pressing McDonald’s for years to present a concrete action plan on how it planned to reach out and engage the American gay and lesbian consumer but has not received a response from the company. The group also writes that McDonald’s has declined to sign on to any of the organisation’s initiatives this year.
“The French TV ad has truly been the last straw,” the letter dated Jun 3, 2010 read. “To allow people to believe that McDonald’s is the kind of partner portrayed in this ad would be a complete failure on our part to serve as an honest and trusted resource for LGBT people and our families to help make informed decisions in the marketplace.”
In 2008, the American Family Association, a religious conservative group firmly against marriage equality for and LGBT friendly legislation, called for a boycott of McDonald's after taking issue with the company's US$20,000 sponsorship and its decision to allow an employee, Richard Ellis, vice president of communications, to sit on NGLCC's board.
The letter also serves as official notice that the NGLCC will not accept future support or membership by McDonald’s or any of its subsidiaries "barring a significant change in policy on the part of McDonald’s."
Reader's Comments
And Singapore is Ally Mae, the incestuous cousin the US fundies are humping inside the barn. Africa is Bonkers Mae, the second cousin waiting fanatically while "eating poo poo", outside the barn, LOL :D.
All these hypocritical fundies anywhere around the world with stupid people refusing to admit idiocy of their vicious so called X-tian beliefs share one common core trait- same ole same ole BORING s.h.i.t all the time-DOMINATION! Zzz
This only applies all the time to the 3 faiths of the BOOK. If it's not this today, it's another. Violence, killing, conquest, invasive occupation, intolerance, discrimination...just name the vilest excuse for hate you can find. As long as you remember to prelude your evil acts with justifications of doing your god's work, it should A-OK.
Pure bull - Big Macs anyone? :D
Nevertheless, it is a lovely adv
Being gay? Legal.
Having lots of hot gay sex? Legal.
Gay clubs? Legal.
Gay bars? Legal.
Telling anyone and everyone you're gay? Legal.
Starting a gay company? Legal.
Gay porn? Legal.
You get my point. As far as the United States government is concerned, you are indeed FREE to do, say, and be any of these things. You are totally free to be as gay as you want to be.
McDonalds is an American company, but it is not America, and it's a critical distinction to make. This is the decision of one segment of a corporation. It's not the US Government saying the commercial can't be aired.
I know it's fashionable (and frankly somewhat justifiable) to bash America over the last decade or so. I engage in doing it myself on a regular basis, but let's dial back the anti-US rhetoric on this one. This isn't America screwing over the gays. This is McDonalds choosing not to air a rather bland and pointless commercial (in my opinion) that happens to feature a closeted gay boy. (Which alone begs the question: If the French are SO tolerant and accepting, why is the boy not out to his father? Huh?)
My point in all this is the simple question: Can we agree that there are far more serious things in this world with which we need to concern ourselves?
anyway, I think its good they don't show this commercial in America cause all we need in the USA is another super sized gay creature, McDonalds food is junk and all gay people should be making more healthy choices when it comes to their diets
this is clearly a ploy to get us gay men fat
I can think of better commercials to push a product and that is probably what McDs feels too.
Besides, while McDs targets all ages, their core customer base is families with children, so messages, even subtle and warm like this, can easily charge the debate.
Gay marriage? Illegal
Abortion? Technically legal but ...
Teaching of evolution? Banned in certain states
Regardless, this is just an ad, the purpose of an ad is to sell products, I don't see what the fuss is about.
And not that it has anything to do with freedom, but which states have BANNED the teaching of evolution? That hasn't been true since 1968, when the US Supreme Court struck down a statute in Arkansas that prohibited the teaching of evolution. Some states DO advocate the teaching of creationism or "intelligent design" (and that's only 2-3 states out of 50), but none BAN the teaching of evolution. Sorry, try again.
Look, the US has LOADS of problems and shortcomings, but to say it's not a free country or that its citizens don't enjoy freedom -- that's just short-sighted. The examples you gave are really not even issues of freedom. Had you said "Bush's suspension of habeas corpus" or "Obama's continuation of it," I'd have agreed wholeheartedly.
I think the title of this article sums it all up for me: French ad won't air in US. Yup. Pretty much like every other French ad. Gay or straight. McDonalds or KFC. I lived in the US for about 39 years and watched a fair bit of television in that time and don't recall ever seeing ANY French commercials. :)
Sushi anyone?
Frankly speaking, I don't think US will ever get over it's own problem with Christianity. It's like America is falling back into the medieval Church and State era. Maybe they'll burn another Joan of Arc on the cross soon enough.
@Bobstone: To continue the story of the ad, maybe the boy gonna confess to his dad, his dad got upset and send him for aversion therapy, and viola! He becomes straight. At least, it seems those nutty Christians would have written the story this way.
The ad is just so-so. No big Deal.
I generally liked "Chadm252" 's comments, above.
The USA has a lot going for it. But, it's the USA, not another country. We are ruled by OUR CITIZENS (good or bad). not ruled by an elite, one party force & the military.
McD USA probably chose not to run the ad here 'cause it would cause boycotts against their product. Not good for an add.
I've lived in Taiwan, ROC and the USA. I've been to Europe and China (PRC--HK--SRA?). I travel to Canada, frequently.
Places are different ! Thank Goodness ! (USA States & other countries).
Don't we Celebrate Diversity ! (respect it, even if we don't agree with it ?)
I'm glad that some things in the USA are similar with the world. I'm also glad we are different from Europe, Iran, the PRC, Singapore, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Canada.
Celebrate Diversity ! .. Differences ... respect them, even if you don't agree with them.
Steve =)
Seattle, WA USA
In the French language there is no literal equivalent to "political correctness" and "appropriateness". That speaks volumes on cultural values and priorities.
Move along now..
+1 France
- 2 USA
- 1 French McDonald's ad, lol
1) "The Land of the Free"....shouldn't the proprietors of businesses (eg McDonald's) *also* share in that freedom? Yes, I'd love more support from them, but we have no right to demand they accept homosexuality, or healthy food, or anything else... Provided they don't *atttack*, then they should enjoy the freedoms we do.
2) I don't think the commercial specifically *targets* gays. As mentioned in the ad, it's showing a current family situation. Older ads always showed the nuclear family--smiling mom and dad with one boy and one girl all enjoying their McNuggets happily together. these days, maybe there is a single parent, maybe there is a gay child, maybe they are poor, rich, whatever. They are being relevant to today without being overt. I like that! This is the situation that I can relate to, as well--do we think most gay teenage boys are 'out' to their father? Or does this commercial actually show an everyday situation?
3) Despite not being 'out', the father and son have a strong bond--you can see that clearly. Who knows, perhaps that is foreshadowing that maybe someday the son will come out and their relationship will be strong enough to handle it... :-)
4) Please look into all the philanthropic works of McDonald's corp in the past. They can't cover *everything*, jeez people.
(I rarely eat at McD's, by the way. It's super unhealthy, and not that great tasting, or value. I just saw what I thought was some unbalanced argument.)
5) Maybe USA is not quite ready for that ad yet. We'll get our own, don't worry. Consider when other minorities began to appear in their ads. Let's give it some time. It's no surprise France was ready for it first!
Just offering my opinion, guys. I hope you'll see that--I'm interested in all sides of the argument!
The ad:
- Nothing fancy
- Typical French style - subtle, artistic, class
- Gay? Family? Single parent? Please refer to point 2 above
- Did I mention the boy is cute too?
Here is my humble opinion after reading all of your postings:
1. McD USA made a geographic marketing strategic decision, nothing to do with anti-gay and nothing to do with America
2. Any other countries airing this ad? Singapore? China? Taiwan? Europe (besides France)? ............
3. Freedom means everyone is free to express their views (gays, non gays, liberal, conservatives, christians, non christians.....). When the conservatives expressed their views about Gays and we gays start calling them Homophobes, how about us when we started trashing them? Are we Heterophobes?
4. The boy in the ad is "closet gay"? He looks pretty young, maybe below 18? How many of you here are totally out to your family and friends? And how many of you here were out to your family and friends when you are below 18? Even to be a member of this site you have to be above 18, so why so hung up about the kid not out to his father? Besides it is JUST AN AD for a fastfood for crying out loud, are we going to be so narrowminded to scrutinise for hiden agendas when (most probably) there isn't one to start with? If we are, aren't we no different than those conservatives whom we are trying to "fight" for our equal rights. Isn't this the pot is calling the kettle black?
5. I applaud all those GLBT activists brothers and sisters who have been fighting for our rights for years around the world. Without them, we would not have gone so far around the world to achieve what they have achieved. The world has changed also for the past decades. You see lots of violence around the world due to differ views and opinions. I believe we should change our ways to fight for more rights and freedom for GLBT around the world and learn from Mhd Ghandi. We should set ourselves away from our "oppressors" to "fight" for our rights and freedom with INTELLIGENCE, COMPASSION, UNDERSTANDING, LOVE and PEACE. An eye for an eye is the reason why the world is in such chaos and violence now.
OK. Now I am ready to be "bashed" from all of you. :)
Give yrself too much credit perhaps?...lol
After all, it is freedom to express.
McD USA has to operate in the minefield of the American culture wars. When 30 to 40% of your market is fundies and friends, its marketing suicide to be seen as anything other than neutral.
But the ad agency who did the "Venez comme vous êtes" campaign should get a huge bonus. Not only does it de-americanize McD in France but it is also getting them free worldwide attention without risking the ire of the American fundies. Freedom fries, anyone?
Advertising is to create awareness. All these attention given to this ad, has made us talked, discussed, critised, compliment, comment, about McD.
McD has won the marketing game. They made us do their advertising for them in a good or bad way depending how you see it.
McD 1 - GLBT 0
I find it interesting that he said he won't impose his personal Christian beliefs on anybody else after declaring that this ad won't see the dawn of light in America.
Every country has their own shitz to clean up and everyone is different. Live with it, deal with it!
Every country has their own shitz to clean up and everyone is different. Live with it, deal with it!
I guess they shied away even in France, or they had a low budget.
A smart intelligent person wouldn't make sweeping statements based on what TV Commercial will or won't be broadcast.
i doubt with Pheramones nice and perfect abs if he actually eats at McDonalds much, that guy is dreamy
Sweet & simple but heart deeply!
hahahaha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdpjM3OeLSo
Seems there's also French version of the same ad, so I think it is also originally a French ad.
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