McDonald's is Only Gay Friendly When it Doesn't Risk Hurting Sales?

June 17, 2010

McDonald's is Only Gay Friendly When it Doesn't Risk Hurting Sales?

Remember the McDonald's ad from a couple of weeks ago that showed a gay teenager who is perhaps about to come out to his father? Here it is:

The ad is part of a French campaign called "Come As You Are" wherein McDonald's is targeting different segments of society and encouraging them to eat at McDonald's with the message that the company is a diverse and welcoming brand.

This ad, along with other ads in the series, appear to mark a departure from the fast food giant's reliance on marketing to the nuclear family. It would also seem to be in keeping with the company's treatment of its own people as, according to the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, McDonald's scores an 85 out of a possible 100 for its gay friendly policies (McDonald's does not prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression though).

However, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of McDonald's, Don Thompson,has caused some controversy this week when, in an interview for theChicago Tribune, he said that while McDonald's stands for certain "core values" it will not air the ad in America because its marketing is based on the "cultural norm" of the region:

Tribune: A French TV ad featuring a gay teen and his father has stirred some controversy — not there, but here. Can you talk about that?

Thompson: It is an example that markets, cultures are very different around the world. (For instance), I’ve never shied away from the fact that I’m a Christian. I have my own personal beliefs and I don’t impose those on anybody else. I’ve been in countries where the majority of the people in the country don’t believe in a deity or they may be atheist. Or the majority of the country is Muslim. Or it may be the majority is much younger skewed. So when you look at all these differences, it’s not that I’m to be the judge or the jury relative to right or wrong. Having said that, at McDonald’s, there are core values we stand for and the world is getting much closer. So we have a lot of conversations. We’re going to make some mistakes at times. (We talk) about things that may have an implication in one part of the world and may be the cultural norm in another part of the world. And those are things that, yes, we’re going to learn from. But, you’re right, that commercial won’t show in the United States.
Is this a fair assessment though? The content of the ad is hardly boundary pushing and doesn't even depict a teenager lip-locked with a same sex beau. It's sweet, subtle and benign. Would America accept this? I think so. In a recent Gallup poll, the "moral acceptability" of "gay relations" crossed the fifty-percent threshold for the first time in the poll's history and an upward trend in acceptance of gays and lesbians occurred across the board. It's not really whether America would accept this advertisement, but rather if McDonald's is prepared to ride the storm when anti-gay religious conservatives kick up a fuss.
And they've already started. From Edge Boston:
Although there are no plans to air the ad in the United States, anti-gay American pundits have jumped on the ad, with online conservative news site CNS reporting on the ad on June 4. The article said that CNS had contacted McDonald’s to demand an explanation, and received the response that the ad is part of a series of themed spots ("Come As You Are"). The article then relayed commentary from the Family Research Council’s Peter Sprigg, who said of the ad, "It struck me as strange. Did homosexuals not feel welcomed at McDonald’s in France already?" Added Sprigg, "It’s sort of a gratuitous effort to ingratiate themselves with homosexual activists and, in that sense, it’s saddening and disheartening for those of us who hold to traditional values."
For another example, the American Family Association infamously besieged Heinz for running a commercial in Britain that showed a same-sex kiss. They also boycotted McDonald's in 2008 over its perceived "promotion" of homosexuality because of its connection to the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), but while they, and others like them, are certainly a vocal group, their view point does not necessarily reflect the wider public sentiment in America today.
Regardless, what is most disagreeable here is that McDonald's is going to great lengths to promote itself in France as a diverse brand that is supportive and even encouraging of minorities, particularly gay youth, but won't risk including gay people in its American campaigns. You either stand for tolerance and diversity or you do not. You can not use such a message as a selling point and then pick and choose where you apply it. To do so cheapens the entire concept and is actually quite insulting.

Interestingly, the aforementioned National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) has sent a letter to James Skinner, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at McDonald's, taking issue with the French advertisement because of this exact complaint. The letter also announces that NGLCC will be severing all ties with McDonald's. An excerpt from the letter reads:
The French TV ad has truly been the last straw and left us with no option but to write you directly. To allow people to believe that McDonald’s is the kind of partner portrayed in this ad would be a complete failure on our part to serve as an honest and trusted resource for LGBT people and our families to help make informed decisions in the marketplace.
We strongly believe that McDonald’s plan to distance itself from LGBT and other diverse business segments, coupled with the release of the French TV ad, is ill advised and counter to the spirit of good business and sound ethics. We sincerely hope that McDonald’s will reconsider its position and that the company will again show its support for LGBT people, our families and our businesses -- not just where it is politically expedient, but around the globe.
Barring a significant change in policy on the part of McDonald’s, please consider this letter as official notice that the NGLCC will not accept future support or membership by McDonald’s or any of its subsidiaries.

McDonald's has yet to respond to this latest wave of criticism, but it seems that the company will only promote diversity so long as it doesn't risk harming sales or raising the ire of religious conservatives. Marketing itself as an inclusive and affirming brand feels rather deceptive in light of this, and while such an attitude is not necessarily surprising, it is disappointing given the praise that McDonald's received for creating this ad.