Saturday, August 16, 2008

Marketing Genius





Congratulations McDonald's, you've done it again! Yesterday the new Star Wars animated movie 'The Clone Wars' began. And so did McDonald's new marketing campaign featuring the Happy Meal toys for the next 4 weeks. Or should I say TOYS?!
By 7:30am today Nate had seen not 1 but 2 commercials on TV during Saturday morning cartoons for the new McDonald's Happy Meal and Clone Wars Bobble Head toys. He was practically breathless, "MOM MOM MOM,you HAVE TO come see this!" I was sure Ian had written on the wall with sharpie or cut his own hair by the way he was spinning with anticipation.

I rewind and watch the commercial. OH boy, not only are they offering toys for the next 4 weeks, you can COLLECT all 18! 18? Who on earth goes to McDonald's often enough to collect all 18? My kids are SPOILED ROTTEN and at best
we go once a week. Maybe twice, rarely, but it's happened.

We all know that Happy Meals aren't about the food - they are about the toys. I'm not even sure they had toys in them when I was a kid. Other than a Purple Grimmace sponge, I don't recall ever getting a Happy Meal Toy.

So like it or not, we will feed the machine and make "treat lunch" our reward for a job well done, a chart completed, a great week at camp so as to "collect all 18". See, Happy Meals aren't all bad, they do have 'carrots'!

But I can assure you, as much as I love to make my children happy, and Star Wars is their all time favorite imaginary game/activity/movie, we will NOT be eating McDonald's 4.5 times a week for the next month.

I'm secretly hoping to get Yoda! ;-)


1 comment:

~Beverly said...

Ha! Ha!

As I sit and read this my THREE year old is on the other computer, at the Happy Meal website, checking out all EIGHTEEN of the toys, and letting me know which ones he wants.

We already have R2 ;o)

Just stumbled on your blog while playing on Blogger...it's a good one! Thanks!