Baby Ronald McDonald Scares Indians

When McDonald's recently opened their first location in Kimaya Kothrud, India, they chose to announce their "birth" like any proud parent ... with a photo of the new baby.

But, unlike the baby photos I am accustomed to receiving, this photo disturbs me on several levels:

1) Do Indians know who this pure white, clown-faced child is if they are not familiar with Ronald McDonald?

2) Is this really an awareness-building campaign?  It does do a good job of announcing the birth of McDonald's; however, it does not educate Indians on the food that is available. Now, I know you may say that McDonald's is the same everywhere, but the truth is that it isn't. Certainly, there are staples like the Big Mac, but McDonald's offers regional menus to capitalize on the ethnic tastes of each unique market it is located in. This ad surely doesn't entice Indians with its regional menu.

3) Finally - and perhaps most importantly - this baby is just plain creepy. It's like a Halloween costume gone bad. Every time I look at it, I have a pretty visceral response ... and let's just say that this response doesn't exactly make me hungry.

We All Speak The Language of McDonald's

While walking the streets of Vienna, Austria, I saw the above McDonald's ad on a billboard. I was struck by the fact that, no matter where you go, no matter what language you speak, we all speak the language of McDonald's.

McDonald's Shares Happy Tales & Happy Meals

McDonald's has taken a bold step into the world of animated fantasy with their most recent ad campaign.

In the first ad, called Suzi Van Zoom, we witness the tale of a young girl learning to ride her bike without training wheels. Her adventures take her from the zoo, where she meets adorable giraffes, elephants and gazelles, to the far reaches of Timbuktu. At the end of her bike ride, she takes a McDonald's break to enjoy lunch with her new zoo friends. Interestingly, the first head nod to McDonald's doesn't occur until 12 seconds into the ad when the golden arches make a very subtle debut.

In the second ad, entitled Apple Tree, a cute white "Twitter like" bird flies through the seasons of the year.  Summer arrives and the buds on the tree blossom, giving birth to new apples. Magically (at 23 seconds), the nest transforms into a McDonald's box, which is filled with healthy looking apples.

Interesting campaign. Throughout most of the two ads, I was engaged by the playful music and the soft and dreamy images (although the girl was a tad strange for my tastes). Plus, I found myself wondering ... whose advertising is this?

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit that I had to watch the scenes unfold several times before I was able to truly understand the storyline. But I suspect that McDonald's ad budget will allow all of us the opportunity to see these ads several times...