1. McDonald’s Advertising: Strategies Used Throughout the Decades and Why it
Matters Today
A research project with Professor Paul Freedman; University of Virginia, Politics
Department
By: Tes Sabin
April 19th
, 2015
McDonald’s advertisements often use different pathos strategies to entice consumers to
buy their product. Only a generation ago, three fourths of family income used to buy food in the
United States went to meals at the home. Now, about half of that income is spent in restaurants,
McDonald’s included. Analyzing multiple aspects from McDonald’s TV advertisements from
the 60’s to present, different ploys were measured based on the amount of certain trigger words
spoken, images used, or characters present in the McDonald’s TV advertisement. After watching
numerous advertisements, the topics of research were placed in spreadsheets and were compared
after each decade. This was done to understand target audiences of these advertisements, and the
potential change in target over the years. The focus was found in the number of children used in
advertisements, the continual portrayal of the popular McDonald’s mascot, Ronald McDonald,
and the usage of family trigger words to demonstrate a safe and comfortable environment for
consumers. It has been found that these McDonald’s advertisements have been suited for child
consumers for years, and the use of child targets may have affected McDonald’s consumption as
a whole.
One major trend noticed in analyzing televised McDonald’s ads would be the use of
children in the commercials. In using children in commercials, does that have a greater effect on

2. the children watching them? Does the mirroring of a child’s image help them perceive
McDonald’s to be something great because people who look like them represent the corporation
in advertisements? That would not be extremely far off, as humans we often gravitate towards
corporations that represent our wants, needs, and desires. A teenage girl is more likely to buy
clothing from Rue 21, Forever 21, or Charlotte Russe before buying clothing from JcPenny’s,
Sears, or Macy’s. Even though all the listed outlets have clothing made and fit for teenage girls,
with the latter having more sturdy and lasting clothing based off the corporations they enlist to
make them, many teenagers buy from the lesser quality clothing because, under my assumption,
they are colorfully marketed, represented by teenagers, and use strategies in their commercials
that seem to articulate that every other girl in their age group is wearing the store’s clothing, so
no girl should be left behind. Obviously, other factors come into play, often the poorer quality
clothing of a store such as Rue 21 is sometimes cheaper than that of the clothing in Macy’s, but
there is still a trend in the companies that is pushed more by how it represents itself rather than
the price of the clothing.
Another trend noticed is the use of characters in the advertisements. With the most
popular being Ronald McDonald, almost every ad that has currently been analyzed involves his
appearance. Most corporations have someone hired to keep up with trends and desires for the
targeted audience, so clearly Ronald’s commercialization is not hard to believe. With colorful
and vivid colors on his suit (red and yellow), and the character persona of a circus clown, which
is known to be fun and vivacious, to most, Ronald is eye catching, even to children who may not
yet understand words and can’t articulate their thoughts. This marketing strategy is excellent.
How easy is it to have a child too young to talk, yet see a giant Ronald McDonald statue or the
golden arches from an advertisement and point to it and make noises in a car seat as a family

3. drives by? Even if the child doesn’t even know what Ronald represents, isn’t hungry, and
couldn’t care less about the fast food industry, they see the bouncing and loud, excitable clown
from TV that grabbed their attention for 30 seconds.
Seen below is data from the advertisements analyzed. The use of Ronald McDonald
throughout the decades is seen to grow significantly in the 70’s, and he is strongly present
throughout the next two decades. The same is true of the secondary McDonald’s characters,
although their presence in McDonald’s was phased out in the early 2000’s. A consistent ploy in
the advertisements is that of the McDonald’s golden arches which were placed throughout the
ads in most often obvious ways, but still subtle and subliminal areas of advertisement such as
through windows or on the clothing of the actors.
Special
McDonald’s
symbols
% of
all
ads
% of
60’s
ads
% of
70’s
ads
% of
80’s
ads
% of
90’s
ads
% of
Holiday
ads
% of other
McDonald
characters
36% 0% 80% 60% 20% 20%
% of Ronald
McDonald in
advertisements
64% 20% 100% 80% 40% 80%
% of Golden
Arches
appearances
92% 100% 80% 100% 100% 80%
% of toys in
advertisements
16% 0% 40% 20% 0% 20%
A particularly fun find is that of the type of music in the advertisements. In the 60’s, there
was either no music, chorus music, circus music, or light hearted whistling in the background.
The circus music matched much of what Ronald McDonald once was, a circus clown. And when
music was playing, the chorus music and whistling corresponded with family values and sounded

4. much like crisp, clean, American music. You then see in the 70’s how the music evolves into
more circus themed music and rock and roll- matching much of the culture of the time. In the
80’s, cartoon music begins to be played in the advertisements, sounding much like the opening
of a cartoon television show, an extreme appeal to children, who can relate McDonald’s to their
favorite characters on TV. Throughout the 90’s, the music continues to match the culture with
rock and roll music being played, as well as music advertising Disney’s theme park, Magic
Kingdom. The use of whimsical music in Holiday ads is shown as much of them are focused on
Christmas advertisements, connecting to both children and families in an emotional, heart string
tugging way. The music is not just essential to the advertisement’s entertainment factor, but by
matching the music to the culture of the society, it makes McDonald’s more relatable to certain
audiences. In the 60’s it matches much of our recently discovered data, with music that appeals
to adults- the parents and grandparents of children. However, the 70’s through the 90’s uses
music that appeals to children and young teens. By changing the style of music, the
advertisement can relate to certain people and groups in an audience, broadening the appeal of
McDonald’s as a whole.
Type of music % of all
ads
% of 60’s
ads
% of 70’s
ads
% of 80’s
ads
% of 90’s
ads
% of
Holiday
ads
Rock and Roll 24% 0% 60% 0% 60% 0%
Circus 20% 40% 40% 20% 0% 0%
Cartoon 16% 0% 0% 40% 20% 20%
Whimsical/Magical 16% 0% 0% 0% 0% 80%
Chorus music 8% 20% 0% 20% 0% 0%
Other 12% 20% 0% 20% 20% 0%
None 4% 20% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Another interesting find was that of the use of food in advertisements. While the use of
Ronald McDonald and other characters started slowing down in the 80’s and 90’s, more food

5. started being advertised in the commercials. It should also be noted that for a fast food chain,
McDonald’s shows markedly less food in their commercials than that of toys, characters, and
other McDonald’s symbols. 60’s advertisements were a time to introduce many new types of
food, most of which are still available today. However, in the advertisements, the food is not
shown as being eaten, but rather displayed on a table or in a studio. This changes around the 80’s
where it shows children and families consuming the food inside McDonald’s or at the home.
Relating good times and taste to McDonald’s food, whereas in the 60’s, the food was shown as
being more of a centerpiece or symbol of home and freshness. This may mirror the change in
culture, as the symbol of a nuclear American family was of primary importance in the 60’s, yet
over time, fun, enjoyment of time with friends, and eating a quick and delicious meal became
even more important.
Type of food % of all
ads
% of 60’s
ads
% of 70’s
ads
% of 80’s
ads
% of 90’s
ads
% of
Holiday
ads
Hamburgers 40% 60% 20% 60% 40% 20%
Chicken
McNuggets
4% 0% 0% 20% 0% 0%
Fries 20% 40% 0% 40% 20% 0%
Happy
Meals
20% 0% 0% 60% 20% 20%
Egg
McMuffin
4% 0% 20% 20% 0% 0%
Breakfast 8% 0% 0% 0% 20% 0%
Roast Beef 4% 20% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Specialty
Chicken
4% 20% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Milkshakes 4% 20% 0% 0% 0% 0%
McRib 4% 0% 0% 0% 20% 0%
Big Mac 8% 20% 0% 0% 20% 0%

6. What McDonald’s seems to recognize, is that children don’t seem to care about the fact
that they sell food, milkshakes, or good customer service, it’s that children see a fun clown, a
toy, a face that looks similar to their own, and they want to go to that business. This in return
causes the parents or grandparents to feel obligated to go to McDonald’s when their child throws
a fit or continually asks to go to the place with the fun clown. It’s easy to sell to children, they
are like cash cows, if a company can sell to the child, they also sell to the parents, the
grandparents, the sibling, the friend that is with them, etc.
According to an academic article, “Children as Consumers: Advertising and Marketing”
by Sandra Calvert, “In 2002, U.S. four- to twelve-year-olds spent $30 billion. American twelve-
to seventeen-year-olds spent $112.5 billion in 2003. In 2003, 33 million U.S. teens aged twelve
to nineteen each spent about $103 a week. According to one report, parents supply 87 percent of
young children's income. That share drops to 37 percent for teens, who have more of their own
discretionary income. Youths also shape the buying patterns of their families. From vacation
choices to car purchases to meal selections, they exert a tremendous power over the family
pocketbook. Experts estimate that two- to fourteen-year-olds have sway over $500 billion a year
in household purchasing. Thus, to influence youth is to influence the entire family's buying
decisions.”
This can be seen today in a Chevrolet advertisement, “Chevrolet Films: 4G LTE Wi-Fi:
In-Car Entertainment.” One specific commercial features multiple children advertising a car for
Chevrolet because of the wireless internet in the vehicle. Where at one point, children may have
been used to advertise cartoons and food, they have now been utilized in automobile
advertisements even when they cannot fathom driving for upwards ten years. This connects to

7. Calvert’s article in which children dictate much of family income, as a child can persuasively
push a family towards a certain car that featured other children on TV.
Taken from academic research by Lisa M. Powell, PhD; Rebecca M. Schermbeck, MPH,
MS, RD; Glen Szczypka, BA; Frank J. Chaloupka, PhD; Carol L. Braunschweig, PhD called,
“Trends in the Nutritional Content of Television Food Advertisements Seen by Children in the
United States Analyses by Age, Food Categories, and Companies,” children view more fast food
advertisements than ever. As of 2009, children ages 2-5 view 10.9 total food advertisements a
day, and children ages 6-11 view 12.7 total food advertisements a day. In the year 2003, children
ages 2-5 viewed 2.3 fast food advertisements alone, and in the year 2009, children ages 2-5
viewed 2.8 fast food advertisements- a 21.1% increase. In the year 2003, children ages 6-11
viewed 2.6 fast food advertisements alone, and in the year 2009, children ages 6-11 viewed 3.4
fast food advertisements- a 30.8% increase.
Continuing, in a test done by Thomas N. Robinson, MD, MPH; Dina L. G. Borzekowski,
EdD; Donna M. Matheson, PhD; Helena C. Kraemer, PhD in “Effects of Fast Food Branding on
Young Children's Taste Preferences,” they asked children ages 3-6 if they had a taste preference
between Mc Donald’s food and unbranded food (both were the same exact meals purchased from
McDonald’s). Further analysis revealed that children with televisions in the home preferred the
taste of McDonald’s over children who did not have a preference. Results concluded children
favored McDonald’s food over anything else. When given the food, one was in the McDonald’s
packaging, while one set of McDonald’s food was rewrapped in plain brown and white
packaging. They concluded that early on in a child’s life, marketing and branding affect how a
child perceives food.

8. What this means is that advertising techniques are being focused on children, and with
the pull children have in family purchasing patterns and income, this strategy works well. But is
this the path we want to take towards consumer purchasing, especially that which is aimed at
children? In a government census questionnaire done in the years 1992, 1994, and 1996, over 1/3
of children consumer fast food every day. This equates to 187 extra calories a day, and about 6
pounds per year added to the weight of a child. About 1/3 of children are also considered
overweight and obese in the United States as of 2012. Research done by Erik Finkelstein and
Rahul Malhotra shows that $19,000 more will be spent on an overweight child than a child of
average weight. This is due not only to the purchasing of copious amounts of fast food, but also
to the medical issues that follow obesity. Medical News Today reported on April 1st
, 2014, that
one in three children have high cholesterol. In 2002, the American Diabetes Association has also
recognized a 33% increase in Type 2 Diabetes in Pediatric Centers across the United States in the
past decade.
In conclusion, the use of McDonald’s advertising may have a remarkable effect on
children’s purchasing habits. This study is by no means correlating the advertisements to that of
child spending and health issues today, but it is an avenue of possibility. Still, McDonald’s
appeal strategies to children are not going unnoticed- specifically by other companies. Products
are being advertised to children, making the youth out to be cash cows, something recognized by
McDonald’s and Disney long ago. This could be potentially detrimental to our society today. As
previously stated, because children have such a strong sway over household spending, by
advertising specifically to children, the purchasing habits of families are often in the child’s
hands, and this may not always be used for only fast food and cheap toys. Regulations on these
advertisements may be tricky. While a company should be allowed to advertise whatever they

9. choose, stipulations may need to be in order. For example, if McDonald’s advertises a happy
meal, it should potentially be considered that they also explain the calorie intake that goes along
with that meal. By educating the youth along with appealing to their wallet, informed decisions
may then be able to be made. While this research is not yet complete, it holds as a strong base for
what may come of advertising in the future. More advertisements by McDonald’s are being
analyzed, along with potentially looking towards other commercials and brands as well to see
how they are reaching out to children. More research will also be done on advertisements and
how they are changing with cultures, such as the possibility of McDonald’s ads reflecting our
culture of an ever moving and fast paced society. The work that has been done now is only one
step in understanding our culture, and how we all hold the potential to be swayed by one circus
clown.