We visited Mc Donalds for a riveting half an hour! Before we had even reached the door my 4 year old recognised the 'M' logo from the car park. As we entered we were bombarded by Scooby Doo displays, advertising the latest 'Happy Meal'. My daughter recognised the words Scooby Doo, as it was in the same script as on the cartoon. She immediately recognised the characters and was desperate for the free toy.
When we reached the counter, the display facing her was the 'healthy' face of McDonalds. This surprised me as it was right at childrens eye level, obviously they want to be seen to be promoting healthy eating. There was carrot sticks, milk, fruit bags and water (she picked none of those!!) She wasn't able to see the menu as it was situated far too high for most children to read. As we patiently queued she was transfixed by a display of this months free toys, being held by Ronald McDonald. I asked her if she knew who the clown was, but she didn't.
Once we had got her happy meal and sat at a table I was surprised how little advertising and posters were on the walls. The only one was for freshly, ground coffee, obviously an advert directed at the parents. Perhaps they think the children at this point should not be distracted from eating quickly!
We visited at 5pm and were surprised that when we counted the children there, there was double the amount of boys to girls. I would guess that the average age was about 8, and more children were with their Dads and Grandparents than Mums.
It was very brightly lit, bustling and noisy. The turnover of people eating was very quick and whilst we were there most people ate and left within 10-15 minutes.
There was very little text for children to read but the strength of the McDonalds logo speaks for itself. I think that McDonalds grabs the attention of children purely through the 'Happy Meal' toy, using popular characters that appeal to both genders it is a clever marketing tool. When I asked my daughter what she liked about her meal, it was the toy that came out tops, the chips were too salty!!
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