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September 09, 2006
McDonald's blog not open for discussion
McDonald's has come under fire for distributing 42 million toy Hummers as the prize in a Happy Meal promotion with GM this summer. Environmentalists were not pleased.
Good thing McDonald's has a "corporate responsibility blog" to discuss such topics. The blog's name is "Open for Discussion," except that it apparently is not.
Matt Fried says he posted a comment on the McDonald's blog criticizing the Hummer promotion and two days later, the comment still hasn't shown up. In fact, there are no comments on the Hummer blog post. Given the negative buzz about the promotion in the blogosphere and mainstream media, it appears McDonald's feels more comfortable in controlling the conversation than engaging in one.
A recent webchat with the same McDonald's blogger supports the premise. A transcript (.doc file) of the chat shows that only positive comments and compliments.
McAstroturfing, anyone?
[Hat tip: Jay Rosen]
UPDATE [9/11/06]: A commenter says that McDonald's has now approved the negative comments on the Hummer post. No response yet from McD's on the comments. Thx Ariel.
Other blogs that reference McDonald's blog not open for discussion:
» A company’s blog could wind up doing more harm than good from WebMetricsGuru
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God bless America when the worst thing some people have to cause a stink over are the toys children are getting in their Happy Meals. I won't go into all the toys I got when I was a kid that didn't turn me into an astronaut, vampire or bionic man and I won't go into the FACT that global warming is disputable because if people are this hell bent on controlling the toys kids get with a burger, then I certainly won't be able to reach them with any kind of level-headedness.
this is what kills me about the negative publicity for the way Chevy handled the Tahoe campaign. say what you will about the truck or the idea in the first place but at least they never backed away from the consumer on the topic.
that's what i never understood about the criticism. isn't that what all this customer driven communication is supposed to be about? regardless of reaction you engage in the conversation.
My favorite about that blog entry is the ending:
"Thanks for your comments. We welcome the dialogue." LOL what dialogue?
I think you're being a bit harsh here.
Obviously McDonald's is not "controlling the conversation," as any blogger is free to communicate his/her thoughts on their own forums.
But why should McDonald's host a site that allows environmentalists to slam them at will? It's doubtful that hard-core enviros are truly McDonald's customers. They are only interested because it's about Hummer.
Another aspect of this is the fact that Hummer -- via the promotion -- is now a business partner of McDonald's. Should McDonald's allow others to openly criticize its partner on a site it hosts?
Corporate "conversations" are complicated animals.
Also, the connection between Hummer and being environmentally irresponsible is tenuous. How can that be? Well Hummer doesn't sell very many trucks their impact on the environment is in line with their market share -- certainly not as bad as the other GM divisions, or Ford or Toyota or even Honda.
Toyota sells a prius and they are “environmental heroes”, ignoring the fact that they sell tons more gas guzzling SUVs and trucks than responsible cars.
We also chastise one brand here and ignore the other. The methane produced by McDonalds bound cows and the deforestation caused by the beef industry are far more harmful than the fleet of Hummers on the road.
But it's a big, masculine brand and stands for things we liberals often associate with the bad guys.
Until we stop expecting brands to shoulder our environmental responsibility and use our franchise and our pocket books to demand change -- we shouldn't pass the blame.
Think I'm wrong? Did you get the v6 instead of the 4 banger? Do you drive a Camry when you easily could thrive with a corolla? Did you pick a house 25 miles from your job because of the nice hard wood floors and dog park when you could live 5 miles from work in a less fashionable part of town? Then shame on you and your excessive consumption.
Hummer folks, is the least of our problems -- but an easy target.
It appears that comments being held for moderation on the McDonald's blog have now been released.
I actually posted a glowing review about the CSR blog here:
The VP that runs that blog even posted a comment (good) about how he was bothered by the comment moderation turnaround time and was going to check into it. That was day before yesterday (Saturday), so I'm hoping to see a flood of moderated comments today...
Whole lot of something about nothing. These environmentalists are just plain sad...
Kids toys
...
if a blog not welcomed discussion, then better called it "newsletter: :P
Just an FYI, I posted last week a podcast interview with Bob Langert about the blog and the issues raised.
Check it out at: www.biggu.com/blog
McDonalds cheats on their Monoply Game. McDonalds will not respond to question and concerns.
I tell this is why people sue McDonalds. You are unresponsive to the questions and concerns. Maybe you would rather respond to a lawyer and a national lawsuit. You may quote your rules and responsibility. However, your game cheated. I cannot cheat because you control the game. You have a national campaign in American. Nevertheless, I find it is also international. It wont be slander when I blog your game, because I experienced the cheating for myself. Maybe I need to make your Monopoly game an Internet blog and see what kind of response I receive. Maybe I am not the only one who has been cheated.
I have eaten breakfast, lunch and snacks most days just to play your game. I have asked others to go so that they could play also. Now I am telling them about my experience. There is a solution you could research my plays (as I am sure you have a record of play) and honor my free parking win at Bestbuy.
I wrote
I am playing your Monopoly game and I have thought that your software cheats. Today I saw it for sure. I entered my code and landed on Community Chest by Pennsylvania Ave. Then I rolled a 3 for the next entered code. The software only moved 2 spaces instead of three. This tells me your are not serious about your game and it is not a fair game. Listen if I had rolled a 2 I would have gotten a second free roll. I should have landed on free parking and received a prize from Bestbuy. I am mad and your game sucks. I would like to say worse and employee a lawyer to sue. However, I wouldnt know where to start to prove what happened. I know I will complain to someone. I want a reply to this email.
You Replied
From :
Sent : Saturday, October 21, 2006 5:00 AM
To :
Subject : Message from McDonald's USA
Inbox
Hello Bob:
Thank you for contacting us regarding the Monopoly 2006 Game at McDonald's.
For assistance with your technical question for the online Game, we suggest that you log onto www.playatmcd.com and click on the FAQ/Help link that appears on the bottom of each page. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you and we appreciate your patience.
Thank you again for playing the 2006 Monopoly Game at McDonald's.
Tim
McDonald's Customer Response Center
ref#:3953871
Please do not "reply" to this email response. All "replies" go to an unmonitored mailbox and are not reviewed. If you wish to contact McDonald's Customer Response Center again, please visit our website at www.mcdonalds.com.
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My two cents worth:
Big brands need to embrace blogs for what they are supposed to be---unfiltered, no spin conversations with the public. It's difficult on many levels for mega brands to do this. From a legal standpoint alone it can be impossible at times. But to really benefit from the new media, there has to be a certain amount of risk. It can't be a blog that is managed like an ad campaign----that just makes the company lose credibility.
i too had the same problem with the online game from mcds....i will just say no more money from this family and i will tell everyone i can to do the same.....
good posting
I think McDonald's is trying to be a good corporate citizen by changing its menu and using different cooking oils. Let's hope other fast food establishments follow suit.
