It’s hard to criticize McDonalds for what seems like a perfectly well-intentioned marketing campaign, not to mention their associated community outreach efforts. But this 365Black campaign seems like a step in the wrong direction in some ways, and the name needs some work. I went onto the campaign’s website hoping to find a mature representation of the 21st Century African-American community. And for the most part, the site is normal fast food website content, but they come off as a little bit delusional on the About page, where they attempt to portray themselves as the mighty baobab that provides life to the entire community.

I have reviewed McDonalds’ crappy McCafé ads in the past, but this new one bears mentioning. A lame guy in a minivan pulls up next to a motorcycle in traffic, and the biker makes some sarcastic comments about the minivan. Then it starts raining, and the lame guy smugly sips from his McCafé coffee drink while the biker freaks out, having apparently never considered the fact that it might rain. You’d think the biker would have dealt with this situation in the past.

Then the lame guy smugly comments that it’s pronounced “minivané” before driving off. If I were that biker I would have punched him in his smug face. But also, what the hell? If the word was minivane, that would work, but no. In the past, at least they used words that actually ended in ‘e,’ like “commute.” This just makes no sense.

Minivan vs. Motorcycle

I have been trying to track down this annoying McDonalds ad for their new McCafé product (which, as far as I can tell, is just coffee). I guess they’re trying to compete with Starbucks, but it’s not going to work. Nobody wants to lounge in a room that smells like fryer grease. Plus, in New York at least, the McDonaldses are always filled with shady characters and bums trying to use the bathroom to take a bum shower, so I certainly wouldn’t feel safe taking my laptop in there. Stick to making mediocre fast food, McDonalds. Okay, I like their fries, but for anything else I’m going to White Castle.

Anyway, I can’t stand the way they accent the end of every word in this ad. They had to know how goofy it sounded. As I’ve said before, they should really release a darker version where they say things like Puké! and Suicidé!

McShitté commercial