Are You ‘Lovin’ It’?

For a mere $7,000, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is airing a provocative commercial AND generating a ton of free publicity.

The target is McDonald’s, singled out in a release about the initiative for “epitomizing fast food and the permeation of fast food in the country," according to Susan Levin, PCRM’s director of nutrition education. The group also claims the PCRM dietitians have analyzed the menu of the world’s largest fast-food chain, and that McDonald’s offers almost no healthful choices.

The TV commercial begins airing Sept. 16 on local Washington, DC news programs and The Daily Show.

In the commercial, a man appearing to be in his young middle-age years is on a metal table in the morgue … with a hamburger in his cold, dead hand. While a woman stands above him weeping, McDonald’s arches are imposed above his toes with the words, “I was lovin’ it." And a voice-over says, “High cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks. Tonight, make it vegetarian."

The group aims to draw attention to heart-disease deaths in Washington, DC. Further plans are to run in Detroit, Houston, LA, Miami, Memphis and Chicago in coming months (assuming McDonald’s lawsuits don’t stop it). But of course there’s no stopping the social media reach; as of this afternoon, Sept. 16, with the ad not even running yet, it has received over 430,000 hits on YouTube (posted Sept. 10).

The campaign is part of a broader effort to lobby local politicians to prohibit fast-food outlets from opening within a quarter mile of one another.

Scott DeFife, from the National Restaurant Association, calls the ad “irresponsible, attempting to scare consumers and promoting a limited view of good nutrition." McDonald’s reinforced its commitment of offering the kind of menu variety that meets customers’ needs and preferences.

This is but another creative but confrontational poke at major food companies, which are increasingly becoming targeted by advocacy groups for their business practices. The impact can be impressive, especially when calling out a practice that offends consumers when they become aware of it … like the Nestle palm oil video or the “Traitor Joe’s" site condemning them for selling red-listed fish. But aren’t most people aware that too much fast food can be a problem? Or are we too fat/sugar/salt addicted to care? This one will be interesting to follow!