Big Macs and Big Careers?
I recently saw a new commercial that McDonald's is running. The commercial was presumably (or at least possibly) to encourage people to work at McDonald's. I can't recall exactly what the script said, but it involved a really energetic, active, ambitious female who basically said she was the kind of person who sees what she wants and then gets what she wants. She doesn't wait around and hope for the best, she makes things happen. She's a doer; a real "go-getter," if you will.Everything is in the first person: "I'm this..." "I'm that..." And then it ends with her saying, "I am a McDonald's employee."
As soon as she uttered that line, I decided that this is worthy of blog-commentary.
Look, I know how all this advertising works. I know Coca-Cola doesn't sell soda, but, rather, they sell "lifestyle." Coca-cola advertisement isn't about soda, it's about tricking the consumer's mind (through a constant, relentless barrage of messages) that Coca-Cola is about good times, fun, excitement, and good living. Have a Coke and a smile! And all these big mega-corporations are the same, especially McDonald's. "I'm Lovin' It!" (Loving what? It's not the Big Macs that people are loving. They're loving it.)
So, here we are with this new commercial, which basically tells us that working at McDonald's is good-time work for good-time Americans (in the hope that someone will be influenced by it). Maybe so they'll get a job there, or maybe just so that they'll make the next logical jump and associate the good times with the establishment, in general, and think that they should be eating there.
It's consistent with every other advertising gimmick out there, meaning it's mostly a load of bull designed to promote happy feelings. But I must draw the line here, because this is the exact opposite of everything that McDonald's represents in our employment society.
I need to say unequivocally that I mean no disrespect to hard working fast-food employees trying to earn a day's pay. Work is work, and there is something commendable about every type of "honest" work. But I know that working at McDonald's is this society's premier example of a job that you'd rather not have. I didn't make this up, so don't blame me, but I can point to two specific expressions that have become part of our society's lingo.
Expression one was popular in my world back when I was in college during the early 1990s recession and people would ask me and my peers what we were going to be able to do with our degrees when we graduated.
We'd answer that we'd probably get a job "flipping burgers." We were fearful of having no chance at gainful employment, but we knew we could get that job "flipping burgers." And you know that expression isn't about becoming a restauranteur or even working as a chef or in an upscale kitchen. That was a fast-food dig, and was mostly a reference to McDonald's, the fast food king. And it was offered with a sense of spite, disappointment, sarcasm, and disenchantment with the truth about the American myth that you study hard and you'll get good grades and be rewarded with a good job.
Similarly, it's not uncommon to hear someone griping about a spoiled celebrity's bad attitude and say, "If he wasn't lucky enough to have gotten famous, he'd be flipping burgers right now!"
Even if we aren't specifically talking about working at McDonald's, McDonald's was the universal representation of the bad job or failed employment hunt.
Expression two was one borne out of McDonald's corporate-speak: "Would you like fries with that?"
Frequently people cite the ability to ask that question as the the only skill a struggling artist (or college graduate) will need to have in order to get the only attainable source of income they can realistically secure. In other words, when you can't do what you want to do because you can't get paid for it or find a vacancy, you are going to end up at McDonald's.
Of course, I think that the very reason McDonald's is going with this angle is because they are aware of the problem and seek to change perceptions. In other words, it's not stupidity on the corporation's part, it's intentional image reconstruction. However, it's just too much of a stretch for me. I think they shed more light on the negative by calling attention to it. The same should be true on their angles for promoting the health conscious eating their menu supposedly allows for. They're doing OK as is—just accept the blemishes and don't stand under the lights. Like a really bad hair-piece, the cover-up makes it more obvious. To me, anyway.
They should take a page from the book of White Castle. White Castle doesn't promote their food as good, clean, family-oriented stuff for the stereotypical proud American. Quite the opposite! The people—the "cravers"— in their commercials are freaks. People with a cheeky love for White Castle. Slobs who fill the back seat of their cars with hundreds of grease-tinged White Castle burger boxes. Crazed patrons who are so dedicated to the place that they get tattoos of the logo (without checking to see that it has changed) on their arms. They make it look like you're stupid for eating there. And you know what? It works! I love White Castles and won't be offended by their message. Because it is accurate: I am stupid for eating there. After all, it's not particularly healthy, right? But once in a while, it's fine. I can live in that "craver's world" for an hour and enjoy it. To me, it's more enjoyable than trying to buy the idea that fit, ambitious, go-getters are flocking to McDonald's in droves.
posted by Steve @ 2:35 PM
2 Comments:
This is what I love about Steve: The fact that he and I can see the same message, be equally offended by it, but for two completely different reasons. I happen to agree with 100% of this blog entry, however the first thing that crossed my mind, and the direction I thought Steve was going to go in was: "She doesn't wait around and hope for the best, she makes things happen. She's a doer; a real "go-getter", and the thing that she's so proud of 'making happen' and 'going to have gotten' is the McDonalds gig? OK, so I'm feeding into the prejudice notion of McDonalds being the worst job there is, but look, there are just some facts that people don't like admitting to, and that's one of them. As a matter of fact I used to work at White Castle, and being in a position where everyone's job may be at stake here at my current job I, in all seriousness, just had another one of my nightmares the other night where I found myself back behind the counter of WC taking orders of irritated customers.
But Steve hits on a good point on why McDonalds is singled out... Brand recognition. They are, in essence, the "Band Aid", "Scotch Tape", "QTip" and "iPod" of the fast food industry. Just as there are other brands of wound dressings, adhesive strips, cotton swabs or MP3 players, everyone automatically uses the most popular brand as the catch-all title, and it's the same with McDonalds. You never hear parents threatening their children, "If you don't go to college and get an education you'll end up working at Checkers the rest of your life!". It just doesn't happen.
[[[[ the first thing that crossed my mind, and the direction I thought Steve was going to go in was: "She doesn't wait around and hope for the best, she makes things happen. She's a doer; a real "go-getter", and the thing that she's so proud of 'making happen' and 'going to have gotten' is the McDonalds gig? ]]]]
Exactly, and that is obviously all part of the greater picture. How believable is it to say that go-getters "go for" Mcdonalds?
But, beyond that, there is a certain degree of insanity that the message is completely in opposition to what we know about the situation.
[[[[[ But Steve hits on a good point on why McDonalds is singled out... Brand recognition. They are, in essence, the "Band Aid", "Scotch Tape", "QTip" and "iPod" of the fast food industry. ]]]]]]
Exactly, and you comment about how "Checkers"—which is probably equally as unfulfilling—doesn't fit into the parental scared-straight quote is perfect evidence.
As for your old employer, I give them props for knowing who they are and being comfortable with it. They seem to know that White Castles are almost "campy" food. It's half food, half fodder. It is food for late-night teenagers and anyone else who wants to appreciate eating crappy because it's so much fun and tastes so good.
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