What ever happened to Ronald McDonald?
It’s actually a pretty interesting story and it may not be what you think.
McDonald’s officially retired Ronald in 2016, despite him being the face of the company since the 60s.
One of the main criticisms was that he was promoting unhealthy fast food to impressionable children and thus played a role in childhood obesity.
This caused McDonalds to rethink their entire marketing strategy.
They shifted their focus away from children and leaned more toward adults.
They modernized their restaurants to appeal to an older demographic. They got rid of the play areas and introduced self-order kiosks, sleeker designs, and a more adult-oriented menu.
Ronald McDonald’s no longer aligned with the company’s new direction.
The final death blow for Ronald was the rise of the creepy clown trend, which gained popularity online in 2016. Videos began to surface of people began dressing up as menacing clowns, terrorizing communities, and even wielding weapons.
As a company with a creepy clown as their mascot, and the rise of more health-consciousness consumers, McDonalds decided to sideline Ronald McDonald from all future advertising campaigns.
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