Exclusive ‘Interview’ with Ronald McDonald

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When Tick Yes recently read reports of the demise of Ronald McDonald, we were devastated. Our relationship can be traced back to childhood, so we like to think we’ve grown pretty close to the man we affectionately think of as ‘the large-footed clown’. So close, in fact, that we have his number on speed dial. So we picked up the phone…

 

Tick Yes: Ron, it’s us. You’re not dead!

Ronald McDonald: Far from it. In fact, to quote Mark Twain: ‘Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.’

TY: So why the confusion?

RM: Well, as you know, there have been media reports that I’m about to be ‘dumped’ due to a marketing rethink. Those reports say that after giving the chain nearly 50 years of faithful service, it seems I no longer fit with the image they want to portray.

TY: Why do you think that is?

RM: You’ve got me. Something to do with Frappes and Mochas and healthier choices, apparently. It’s a hard life for a clown these days.

TY: But as of now you’re still working for McDonald’s? Spokeswoman Danya Proud, who was originally credited with the quote suggesting you’d been retired, has since gone on record to say, ‘We are absolutely NOT retiring Ronald!’

RM: Yes, that’s the company line – for now… Still, that’s what they said about Grimace and the Hamburgler, and how long’s it been since you’ve heard from either of them? It’s hardly surprising. After all, Grimace was clearly obese, which was not a good image for a fast-food chain, and the Hamburgler was a convicted felon!

TY: You’ve undergone a bit of a public battering in recent months, though, haven’t you, Ron?

RM: I assume you’re referring to the Finnish food activists who decapitated a statue of me to make a political statement about McDonalds? Or the Corporate Accountability International campaign to oust me from the job? Yep, it’s certainly been a rough 2011. But like I said to the Colonel when we played golf a few months back, just getting rid of me isn’t the solution.

TY: So what is the solution, in your opinion?

RM: Well, I’m a brand advocate, so use me! They set me up with a Facebook account a while back, but the only interaction is a direct copy from Wikipedia about my heritage, and not even 10,000 followers. I should be using these channels to talk to consumers. Give me a Twitter account, I say; a kid’s blog where I can promote our healthier choices to kids. I may be a marketing dinosaur, but this old clown’s got fight left in him still.

TY: So you think McDonald’s should leverage your image to evolve their message?

RM: Sure. They ought to use me to promote a healthier lifestyle to kids, not simply stop marketing to kids in general. That’s not the answer. Look how well it worked with the Cookie Monster on Sesame Street.

TY: Well Ron, we sure hope you can convince the bigwigs to keep you around.

RM: Me, too. Because I’m still Lovin’ It.

•    What do you think? Companies obviously need to change with the times, and promoting healthier food choices clearly makes sense for a company like McDonald’s. But is Ronald too closely associated with Happy Meals to be a viable mascot in the social media age?

Image by: CDN Babble