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McDonald's should be ashamed of itself - if it had any shame

David Yamada doesn't think much of the Orange Line ads that posit lack of a Big Mac stuffed in your mouth as the sort of mental issue that one more typically sees advertised on clinical-research ads between Forest Hills and Oak Grove:

I'm sorry, but the ad is just too close to the real thing to be funny.

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are the comments beneath it. This is what people choose to spend their day being overly concerned about?

It's an ad, a stupid ad. Do they really think somebody on the T is going to look at that ad and write down the number on it and call it later that night when they have the gun to their head?

We’re living in difficult times. There are a lot of people who are struggling with their mental and emotional health. They may be highly stressed out, depressed, or even suicidal.

Thank you, Mr. Yamada. I would have known none of these things if I hadn't read your blog.

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Is it possible that Mr. Yamada is too young to remember this ad campaign?

Where is this guy when there are MIDNIGHT MADNESS and SHOPPING MANIA DAYS at the local merchants? Isn't that even more offensive - to equate shopping and serious mental illness events? I've wondered why you never see DIABETIC COMA DAYS at your local Dodge dealer ... or some other sort of acute crisis event.

As noted below, it would be fun to stick a black/white square sticker in the corner to lead people to the American Heart Association ... or to a new article in Science on how eating beef regularly feeds and breeds a particular type of gut bacteria that produce artery-clogging blood sludge.

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This is pretty much how I look when I reflect on my decisions after eating at McDonald's.

It is entirely understandable to feel shameful after eating such low grade garbage food.

In fact now that I write this I'm not convinced that McDonald's is even behind this. It seems like satire directed AT them, not by them. Would McDonald's EVER put out any ad without the golden arches M on it somewhere?

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All I have ever seen from him is over-sensitive over-analysis of his surroundings. The only thing wrong is the phone # should have the American Heart Association at the bottom. Otherwise, I dont see a problem with the ad.

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Whether or not it is insensitive, it is a poorly thought-out and stupid ad. Can we at least agree on that?

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Why, I have to applaud McDonald's for both letting the mentally ill know that they really care and for targeting a specific section of Americans that are often left out in advertising.

Why should Bushmaster be the only corporate entity out there who cares about targeting their products to the mentally ill?

Why, I think next McDonald's should think of targeted advertising for skinny people. Let's get them on board the fast food train!

Hmmm...looks like rain today. Better not forget my Abilify umbrella!

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And thank goodness the NCAA championships are tonight, so we can finally put an end to the annual orgy of insensitivity exemplified by the term "March Madness."

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for having a policy of "we'll let you put up ANY advertising, no matter how tasteless or insulting it may be to out riders, and only have you take it down after somebdy complains."

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They could have let Pam Geller and her craziness run rampant , the way NYC had to. That's offensive for you!

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For being so sensitive.

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you don't have to endure the likes of "Googleland" and the "Blue Man Tunnel" twice a day. As a fare paying passenger, yes, I consider that type of "saturation bombing" attack insulting. Not to mention incredibly wasteful as well.

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Hey if they can keep the fares below $2 I will gladly watch any stupid ad they want to broadcast. The problem is it's going to get like cable TV, where you pay an assload for the channels, and they advertise to you.

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The tunnel movies are pretty low on my list of intentional public transit nuisances.

And it's a long list, including things like nag announcements (hello, Blue Line), station food vendor TVs blaring The Price is Right, and bus ad wraps which cover the windows (which fortunately are illegal in MA).

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As a nurse, I have a good sense of gallows humor but this ad is just not funny. The issues of mental health (and obesity, which McDonalds contributes to)and the associated suffering and complications are just too serious to be made fun of in a marketing plan. Geesh!

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Unless the ad campaign has changed, the one I saw had EVERY ad in the Orange Line car an ad for McDonalds, and they mimicked other ads too... the law office ad; the going-back-to-college ad, etc. I thought the campaign was brilliant. Sorry the pics I took aren't clearer...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1015137861...

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Now why'd you have to go and introduce actual facts and context into the discussion? Don't you know that people are trying to be self-righteous around here?

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I think it was a Tide advertisement several years ago that drew enough controversy that the T removed the placards.

Then last year Improve Asylum advertised a comedian who plays at the stereotyped effeminate limp wrist gay male. All they needed was standing next to him was an African-American boy looking like Buckwheat with his bulging eyes.

Humor is a funny thing. Humor to one is insulting to another.

I like the Mel Brooks attitude toward humor: insult everyone!

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in his quest to not look like a total idiot. Boston Magazine, in their "blog" now (along with Mr. Yamada) seems to think that this is some sort of hoax.

In other words they postulate that someone paid the T to put up fake Mickey D ads. One question:why?

Further proof that some academic liberals have their heads so far up their asses, I'm surprised they're not totally brain damaged from the lack of oxygen.

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2013/04/08...

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(specifically, for $1 iced coffee)

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