What General Motors has Learned from Big Tobacco
This summer, kids will be getting toy Hummers with their Happy Meals thanks to a new McDonald's promotion to bring “the fun and excitement of Hummer vehicles” to “McDonald’s youngest guests.” In a time of record gas prices, when even our oil-friendly leader has admitted that America is "addicted to oil," it seems a bit irresponsible for McDonald's to be advertising the Hummer to its youngest and most impressionable customers. Viewed in the context of an "addiction," its reminiscent of how Big Tobacco has cultivated its future generation of smokers with images of Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man. Needless to say, this Happy Meal addition is a poor choice for a company trying to green its image.
Update (Aug 15): EWG has just launched a new site, the Ronald McDonald Sign-o-Matic. Make your own Mickey D’s sign and tell Ronald what you think of the new Happy Meals.
