McDonald’s Ventures into The Wild
McDonald’s Corp. unleashes its kids’ promotion tied to Walt Disney Pictures’ The Wild this week.
Big Mac features eight characters from the animated film as action-toy premiums for Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals. The effort breaks tomorrow, April 14, just as the film premieres nationally.
The computer-animated comedy follows a crew of New York Zoo animals who venture into the city to rescue a friend. The film’s release—and McD’s promotion—is timed to National Wildlife Week, April 23-30. The Marketing Store Worldwide, Oak Brook, IL, handles McD’s promotions.
Meanwhile, Oak Brook-based McDonald’s is going on the offensive to limit criticism of the chain when the tween-targeted non-fiction book Chew on This hits stores next month. The book, co-written by Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser, reportedly blames QSRs for childhood obesity and criticizes them for paying low wages. McDonald’s reportedly is readying teams of brand ambassadors to tout the brand, and has invited reporters to meet next week with CEO Jim Skinner and other McD execs to discuss the chain’s commitments to high-quality food and career opportunities. Criticism could heighten when the film version of Fast Food Nation hits theaters as early as this fall.
McDonald’s 2005 revenues topped $20 billion, up 6% worldwide. Same-store sales rose nearly 4% globally, per McDonald’s.
