Retire Ronald McDonald
By Techgirl

If you have a child who loves burgers or nuggets, you have stepped into one of the hundreds of McDonalds in India. Apart from their yummy food, McDonalds has perfected its marketing pitch to become one of the most successful food chains in the world.  In March, 2010, McDonald launched a new campaign called “Har Chotti Khushi Ka Celebration” at an NGO in Mumbai.

The McDonalds India press release handed to the media at this NGO ‘event’ in Mumbai tugged at your heart: “A baby’s first step, the first time you bunked class, your first holiday out with friends, the first Valentines card you received, the look on your mothers face when you gifted her your first salary, or the look of an underprivileged child when he meets his favourite star – the small joys of life such as these are what we often take for granted in our busy lives. It is indeed a must to enjoy these small pleasures in life simply because there aren’t enough of the big ones to go around. Supplementing this thought, McDonald’s has launched an exciting campaign called “Har Chotti Khushi Ka Celebration.” Designed to position McDonald’s as the ideal venue and platform for every individual to celebrate their little joys of life, the campaign focuses on the Chotti Khushi of celebrating with a delicious Happy Price Menu for just Rs. 20 onwards.”

Unfortunately for their iconic, well meaning mascot Ronald McDonald, there is a powerful online campaign to force him to retire. US-based Corporate Accountability International has set up this website which says: “After close to fifty years of hawking fatty food directly to kids, Ronald McDonald is being urged to retire. A new report and national poll released today by Corporate Accountability International finds that close to half of the public favors the clown’s retirement. Even those with a positive impression of the corporate mascot are conflicted, with almost half favoring his exit.”

America has an obesity problem with the disease tripling in the last 30 years for children aged 2-5 and quadrupling in children aged 6-11. McDonalds spends a billion dollars a year on marketing to its US consumers with Ronald McDonald playing a key role.

In case you think Corporate Accountability International is a leftist, activist group which will be crushed by McDonald, you may be wrong.  In the past, their public campaigns have forced the retirement of Cigarette giant RJ Reynolds' iconic mascot Joe Camel.

If you love the McDonald burgers but would prefer Ronald McDonald to retire to a nice Hill Station in India, you can logon to the Corporate Accountability International site and sign an online petition and/or make a donation.  They are even on Facebook.

Techgoss note: Techgirl is a senior Tech journalist who reports on the IT, KPO and KPO Sectors for a leading media house.  In her spare time, she dabbles in satire in her blog http://techgirltalk.blogspot.com