HOMETOWN: Baltimore
EDUCATION: bachelor's in marketing, University of Maryland
PERSONAL: married, two grown children
EXPERIENCE: five-year McDonald's franchisee in New York; national advertising manager for McDonald's; executive vice president of Wells Rich Greene ad agency developing campaigns for Jack in the Box, Hills Bros. Coffee, Chex, Midas, Continental Airlines, among others; currently marketing consultant
Barry Klein, who created the Ronald McDonald character for McDonald’s, is not shy about defending the famous clown against recent accusations that the character plays a role in an inappropriate marketing strategy designed to get kids to eat unhealthful foods. Here he discusses the birth of Ronald McDonald, the famous clown’s marketing role and the recent animosity directed at McDonald’s.
What inspired you to create the Ronald McDonald character?
In the mid-’60s I was working at an advertising agency in Washington, D.C., on the new McDonald’s account. The client was the franchisee for the market, a man named Oscar Goldstein with whom I became very close. I had also become friendly with a guy named Willard Scott who was the local NBC station weather man and also played Bozo the Clown on a live, one-hour show five days a week. My agency had several clients on the Bozo show for whom I wrote the commercials that Willard delivered live, and we decided to try one for McDonald’s. It was the first time any McDonald’s advertising was directed to children.
Soon Mr. Goldstein’s McDonald’s were showing considerably higher sales than others, and the only difference was the Bozo commercials. Then we got the news that the station was going to take Bozo off the air. “Goldie” was incensed when we told him, and my first comment was, “Don’t worry; we’re going to have our own clown.” Willard and I got our heads together to design a costume, I wrote a couple of commercials, we filmed them locally, rather crudely, and Ronald McDonald was on TV. Soon after, McDonald’s hired me as national advertising manager.
What role did you envision Ronald McDonald playing?
In my mind Ronald was no different than Tony the Tiger; the Keebler Elves; Snap, Crackle and Pop; or any other character in commercials for kids. The idea was to develop a spokesperson who would favorably represent the brand in communications, making it more interesting, memorable and helping the audience relate.
Why has the Ronald McDonald character been such a sore spot with opponents?
They want to blame someone else for the lack of parental responsibility that has resulted in sedentary, overweight children. It wasn’t too long ago that most parents demonstrated their acceptance of responsibility by saying “no,” … limiting consumption of some foods and making kids engage in physical activity. Some parents were indulgent, but not nearly as many as in recent years. As a result there were very few complaints about advertising on kids’ TV, except when the sizes of toys were exaggerated in commercials.
What do you think of government intervention in marketing to kids?
The city of San Francisco and others have passed a law that bans the sale of kids’ meals that have a certain number of calories and [don’t meet] other content requirements. The federal government has issued a set of “voluntary” guidelines for children’s advertising that apply to every product. What’s next? Will McDonald’s have to remove their logos from merchandise that raises funds for Olympic athletes and Ronald McDonald Charities?
How has the marketing challenge changed for chains today?
As a marketer you have to be very careful about how you talk to kids today, because nothing that entertains or excites them is the same as it was a few years ago. ... The most important issue is the speed at which a marketer will be vilified when they make a [politically incorrect] mistake. The number of expensive commercials that have had to be taken off the air very quickly is amazing.
Contact Alan Snel at alan.snel@penton.com.
