Channel Seven, the Olympic station, predictably gave no coverage yesterday to a David and Goliath stoush that has erupted over McDonald’s efforts to cash in on the athleticism of the Games.
In one-off ads run in yesterday’s Australian and The West Australian, basketball legend and former Olympian Luc Longleyand dual Olympic hockey gold medalist Jenn Morris counterpunched three McDonald’s post-race pig-out testimonials featuring cyclist Anna Meares and athletes Nathan Deakes and Jane Flemming.
Maccas is running global saturation advertising including a “McAustralia Limited Edition Olympic Games Burger” and an Olympic “Champion Kids” promotion.
In his personalised McD’s promotion, Deakes says: “After both the Sydney and Athens Olympics Games, McDonald’s was my very first post-race meal, just like when Mum and Dad took my sister and I after Little Athletics. I really look forward to a thickshake and a Big Mac after I compete — it’s become a bit of a ritual for me, and I plan to do it again in Beijing.”
In the counter-ad, Jenn Morris punches back; “It’s hard to describe how I felt after scoring the final goal in the final game in Sydney. The last thing I thought about was thickshakes, fries and burgers. Junior sport for me meant oranges. Junk food never crossed my mind. Not then, not at the Olympics – and not now.”
Morris, now Chair of Western Australia’s Healthway health promotion organisation has said: “It’s very disappointing to see the way that sporting champions are being used to promote this type of food.”
Longley, a three-time Olympian says “the idea of eating fast food before or after an Olympic competition never entered my mind. Jumping for that hoop is hard enough without half a kilo of stodge weighing you down.”
The counterpunch advertisements are funded by a consortium of health organisations: the Cancer Council WA, the Cancer Council NSW, the Australian Medical Association, Diabetes WA, the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and the Public Health Advocacy Institute of WA.
Another Olympic-fever promotion McDonald’s has on during the games are the Coca-cola Olympic collector glasses. One issued a week over the next three weeks – so that would mean a weekly visit for three weeks to be able to have the whole “limited edition” collection. Is this considered a “moderate” number of visits to a fast food outlet? I suppose the trick is to exercise as much as on Olympian in order to avoid getting a big belly from all those Big Macs.
Great counter adverts. I’m getting into my fruit snacks lately – 2 oranges cut into quarters at a time. I’m noticing a sense of nostalgia for the junior footy days. The current bag has the perfect sweetness and tang. Getting into cooking more regularly is the go too.
There’s a scene in the somewhat ordinary kids’ film The Game Plan (starring The Rock) where he is offered $25 million if, after winning the Grand Final, the star quarterback turns to the camera and says “I’m going straight to Fanny Burgers”. Instead, he turned to the camera and said “I’m going home to spend time with my daughter”.
Who would have thought Australian sports stars would sell their souls and integrity like this. Despicable, and good on Luc and the others for standing up for kids’ health.
Yes, go the healthy foods, fight the power, down with Maccas’ manipulative advertising, etc, but….
Don’t kids find it annoying to be preached to by freaks of nature who never ever eat junk food, never even WANT junk food? I know I do.
The supermarket and fast food generations, including myself have all been short-changed. Living in northern NSW where road-side stalls sell local produce the taste of fresh veges and fruits such as corn, tomatoes, beans, potatoes,bananas, pineapples etc …even the perfume of fresias and sweet peas significantly differs to what’s sold in Woollies/Coles. Maybe losing contact with ‘comfort tastes and smells’ and being frustrated with ‘fake-foods’ is why we head for Maccas etc and why we’re stressed and overweight. When I threw out the Woollies strawberries that took two weeks to ‘ripen’ and taste like lemons I went to the local servo for a Cornetto ‘hit’!! Shame they don’t have all-night roadside stalls.