Case Study International Marketing
QUESTIONS
1. How should McDonald’s respond when ads promoting
healthy lifestyles featuring Ronald McDonald are equated
with Joe Camel and cigarette ads? Should McDonald’s elimi-
nate Ronald McDonald in its ads?
2. Discuss the merits of the law proposed by France that would
require fast-food companies either to add a health message
to commercials or pay a 1.5 percent tax on their ad budgets.
Propose a strategy for McDonald’s to pay the tax or add
health messages, and defend your recommendation.
3. If there is no evidence that obesity rates fall in those countries
that ban food advertising to children, why bother?
4. The broad issue facing McDonald’s U.K. is the current atti-
tude toward rising obesity. The company seems to have tried
many different approaches to deal with the problem, but the
problem persists. List all the problems facing McDonald’s and
critique its various approaches to solve the problems.
5. Based on your response to Question 4, recommend both
a short-range and long-range plan for McDonald’s to
implement.