McDonald is the largest leading multinational fast food restaurant with more than 33000 food chains worldwide in 119 countries, serving 68 millions of customers daily. Despite McDonald’s prevalent brand name under globalization, many of its marketing strategies are come into question in terms of ethnicity. In the following essay, some of those unethical issues of McDonald being criticized will be analyzed based on the values-oriented framework, which refers to the AMA Statement of Ethics and ICC International Code of Advertising Practice.
Successful marketing could seize the opportunity according to the need of the public, giving people what they want while maintaining profitable. In response to the changing customer tastes towards a healthier life style, McDonald has provided healthier and low calories options like salads and fruit. It also offered larger variety of nutritious food in Happy Meals. (G. M. Chessman, 201 1) All these are the marketing strategies McDonald adopted in order to establish a health-friendly brand image. According to the AMA Statement of Ethics, marketers should embrace ethical ales like honesty, fairness, responsibility and transparency.
For honesty and fairness, McDonald does not offer food of nutritious value as it claims in its advertisement. Deceptive advertising strategy is used to depict that its food is healthy for daily consumption. In spite of McDonald’s willingness to disclose the nutrition information Of its food, the customers will never be acknowledged of the use of additives, preservatives and chemical value added to the food, which may adversely affect our health upon over-consumption. For instance, it had been covered that chemical ingredients like preservative TPTB is contained in McDonald’s nuggets. CNN Health, 201 0) Transparency is undoubtedly violated given that McDonald’s intention of trying to conceal the harmful production process and risk of food consumption. On the other hand, the recent introduction of the “Super Captain” meal is known as fattening as 6 bowls of rice, supporting the fact that McDonald will hardly be a healthy choice. Apart from the unauthentic advertising of its nutrition value, McDonald also employs the “limited availability’ and back due to demand” marketing tactic to facilitate the demand of the product.
Knowing that the product would soon be unavailable, people would rush to try out so as to ensure that they would not miss anything. (K. Johnson, 2012) Fairness and responsibility are infringed given that McDonald is trying to seek financial profit to the detriment Of the nation’s health. Marketing to children is another issue that McDonald has long been criticized and accused of. Including toy in Happy Meal is one of the marketing strategies directly targeted to children.
The lure of toys and cartoon characters in the advertisement can be acted as an inducement for them to consume the meal, which has direct relationship to childhood obesity, diet related diseases and other impacts on children’s health. (C. O. Brine, 2011) However, most of the McDonald advertisements are usually aired during kid’s programming afternoon sessions. It is believed that children are vulnerable to marketing and they are immature enough to understand the marketing tactic nor having the final purchasing power. Restriction and legislation concern inning marketing to hillier therefore exist.
According to the consolidated ICC Code regarding the marketing to children, products inappropriate for children should not be advertised in media targeted to them. On one hand, fast food eating culture should not be encouraged to the young people given its negative impact to health. On the other hand, it is unethical to leave parents out of the marketing strategies. (C. Smith, 201 0) To conclude, unethical marketing strategies and marketing to children should be strictly prohibited given its adverse impact to the society.
In fact, we can e that McDonald has put its effort towards establishing a healthier and more marketing ethnically publicity comparing to years back. However, further improvement can still be made. Multinational Corporation like McDonald which has immense impact on the society should have the responsibility to be a leader in ethical marketing.
