At $4.5M for a 30 second spot, Super Bowl commercials get just about as much hype as the two teams playing. McDonald’s made sure it was in the mix in front of a huge television audience Sunday night. Ronald McDonald and friends need to find a way to regain dominance of the fast food market. With profits down 30 percent, clearly the Golden Arches aren’t the first choice for families anymore.
The giant fast food chain didn’t try to win customers with highly styled photos of their menu items. Instead, they decided to focus on their customers’ hearts rather than their stomachs:
http://youtu.be/iq2Sm2XGv_s
Companies giving away products to build consumer confidence and loyalty isn’t new. What also isn’t new is the fact that many McDonald’s employees can’t make ends meet on what the restaurant pays.
Just how bad is it for a McDonald’s employee living on minimum wage? A full-time worker (40 hours a week) clocking in for minimum wage earns $15,080 per year. A Bloomberg View article points out that the median individual earnings are $40,040 per year. The U.S. poverty level is $23,550.
A full-time minimum wage worker at McDonald’s makes $8,470 LESS than the poverty level.
McDonald’s thought it could help employees by providing them with a sample budget:
The company doesn’t include any costs for heat. Or food.Or clothes and shoes. But it does include income from a second job.
McDonald’s wants to win back the hearts of customers who choose to drive past the Golden Arches with a free meal, while the people bagging the fries and burgers tighten their belts.
I’m not Lovin’ It.