Why is McDonald's teaming up with a former 'MythBuster'?
McDonald鈥檚 has enlisted professional skeptic and former 鈥淢ythBusters鈥� co-host Grant Imahara for its latest attempt to counter what it says are some of the persistent myths about the quality of its food. The 鈥淥ur food. Your questions鈥� campaign begins today (10/13) with TV spots showing real people鈥檚 questions and an invitation to consumers to pose questions via social media. Imahara is featured in a series of webisode videos addressing consumers鈥� persistent doubts and questions.
鈥淲e know some people鈥攂oth McDonald鈥檚 fans and skeptics鈥攃ontinue to have questions about our food from the standpoint of the ingredients or how food is prepared at the restaurant. This is our move to ensure we engage people in a two-way dialogue about our food and answer the questions and address their comments,鈥� Kevin Newell, EVP-chief brand and strategy officer for McDonald鈥檚 USA, told BurgerBusiness.com in an exclusive interview.
鈥淭he work we鈥檝e done in the past has been one-way. We鈥檝e made nutrition information about our food available for a number of years. But people聽 had to go find it. Now we鈥檙e inviting consumers to go on a journey with us to get those questions answered.鈥�
McDonald鈥檚 earlier launched an 鈥淥ur food. Your questions鈥� website in Canada and then in Australia. Newell says the ongoing Canadian effort has seen 鈥渟ome very good results from the standpoint of how people perceive McDonald鈥檚 food.鈥� Why will this effort succeed better than past campaigns? Newell says the key differences are its 鈥渢wo-way dialogue, the behind-the-scenes view into what really happens from farm to fork and the opportunity to bring in a MythBuster with great credibility in getting to the truth.鈥�
鈥淒oes McDonald鈥檚 even sell real food?鈥� asks one person in one TV spot from DDB Needham, Chicago.
Consumers are encouraged to pose questions via a new聽, Twitter and Facebook. Webisodes will appear on all those media, along with YouTube. Newell said the company has set up a 鈥渃ommand center鈥� where 鈥渁s questions come in we鈥檒l have our people addressing them in real time.鈥�
The first webisodes take Imahara to a Cargill plant where the McDonald鈥檚 beef supplier shows what goes into the chain鈥檚 burger patties. Just beef. No 鈥減ink slime.鈥� The flash freezing of those patties is explained and defended as a way to retain rather than lose flavor. 鈥淎sk your questions and I鈥檒l find out the answers,鈥� Imahara says at the episodes鈥� close. He will visit other McDonald鈥檚 suppliers to answer questions about McNuggets, McRib and other food products.
鈥淲e get more questions about our beef than anything else; that鈥檚 why we鈥檙e starting off with beef,鈥� said Newell. 鈥淭his is the topic that gets the most energy with our customers so we鈥檙e taking it on right away.鈥�
鈥淲hat frustrates us is that when people don鈥檛 know us they tend to judge us,鈥� Newell added. 鈥淲e鈥檙e saying don鈥檛 judge us before you know us, and we鈥檙e giving you an opportunity to know us like you鈥檝e never had before.鈥�
