The past few days we've been glued to the TV watching the Winter Olympics. We cheered for Hannah Kearney when she won the gold in women's moguls and secretly hoped that there would be a few little crashes so Bode Miller would win gold in men's downhill (Better luck in another alpine event Bode!). We'll continue to be on the edge of our couch for more skiing and skating until the end. 

But, when there's a pause in the action there are of course Olympic themed commercials (which often remind me of Super Bowl commercials). They're at a higher level than your typical run of the mill commercial and tend to tug on your heartstrings a bit. In the beginning I was oohing and aahing and almost shed a tear.

Then, I saw the following McDonald's commercial. If you've been watching the Olympics at all you've probably seen it. Just in case you haven't, here's the scene.....

Picture a group of children hockey players and their coach giving a post game pep talk. He says (and I am paraphrasing here since I can't find the clip online);

"We came into this game with one goal and unfortunately finished the game with only one goal. You played with heart.....you played like Olympians...and today you're going to eat like Olympians!"

The commercial then cuts to the team entering a McDonald's full of prominent Olympic athletes.

I almost fell off the couch! It's bad enough that McDonald's is and has been a huge sponsor of the Olympic games for as long as I can remember, but to actually paint the picture that Olympic athletes eat McDonald's and that "you too can eat like an Olympian" is just plain irresponsible. I'm not an expert on an Olympic athletes diet but I am pretty confident that they aren't stopping at the drive thru on their way home from practice.

After I picked myself back up of the floor and had to take a step back from my outrage:

Give Kids More Credit
Unless you live under a rock you've heard all the news about childhood obesity and the rise in diabetes. This commercial clearly targets children who might believe that McDonald's food could help them become an Olympian. But, at the same time we need to give kids more credit and parents need to take responsibility. I think it's safe to assume that most kids know that a salad is better for them than a Big Mac and it's our responsibility as adults to keep reinforcing what they already know. We shouldn't expect McDonald's to teach children how to make smart and healthy food choices - that's our job. 

Healthy Options: A Missed Opportunity
If you're going to McDonald's in the first place I'm sure you're not stopping by for the apple dippers but, at least they have added a few healthy options for those who want them. In the commercial they don't show any of these options. Instead, all the Olympians are chowing down on chicken nuggets and french fries. Why not take this opportunity to promote the healthier choices that McDonald's has to offer? By missing this chance they have really made themselves look foolish and the Olympic athletes are going down with them.

4 comments

1. cat delett on February 17, 2010 at 11:09 AM

   Oh, you don't think Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame was in Olympic condition after eating McDonald's for a month? But all kidding aside, it is disappointing that McDonald's is promoting their food as "eating like an Olympian." Hopefully the parents watching are smart enough limit kids fast food intake and tell kids why fast food isn't Olympic food at all.
   
   Although I'm not surprised at all about the Biggest Loser aspect. Without McD's (and other fast food), there might not be a Biggest Loser at all.

    
2. EatFit. LiveWell on February 17, 2010 at 11:31 AM

   Thanks for your comments! It is unfortunate that sponsorship is a huge part of the Olympics and helps pay for our athletes to train and compete. The Olympics should be about elite athletes competing for the pride of their home country, not about nuggets and fries. I hope that McDonald’s gets negative feedback on this ad campaign and makes a change. I think they should be socially responsible and show balanced advertising of their salads and dippers along with their nuggets and fries.
   
   Maybe then, people would become more aware and educated about making healthier choices while eating out. And, some day the Biggest Loser will no longer be necessary. I know, I have very high hopes!

    
3. Pingo on February 18, 2010 at 2:55 AM

   Unfortunately, the world has evolved into such where normal, every-day people cannot do ANYTHING against such mega corporations, even if they have the best lawyers. But don't forget one thing - those mega corporations such as McDonald's are growing BECAUSE of people, BECAUSE of their money and BECAUSE of them being naive.
   
   The solution is thus simple - don't eat at McDonald's. You are all old enough to know McDonald's is definitely not for top-notch Olympians, so talk to your child if you see him watching the commercial.

    
4. cat delett on February 23, 2010 at 2:18 PM

   I guess that's the silver lining: the commercials provide an opening to talk to our children about how unhealthy McD's and all fast food is.