WHERE SUCCESSFUL ADVERTISING MEETS LGBTQ+ EQUALITY

AdRespect Ad Library Profile

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Company: McDonald's Corp.
    View Company Scorecard / Contact Company
Brand: McDonald's
Ad Title: Lightening Bugs/Fashion
Business Category: Restaurants
Media Outlets: Television
Country: United States
Region: North America
Agency: Leo Burnett Co.
Year: 2001
Target: Mainstream
Ad Spotter: Robert Bell
Company: McDonald's Corp.
    View Company Scorecard / Contact Company
Brand: McDonald's
Ad Title: Lightening Bugs/Fashion
Business Category: Restaurants
Media Outlets: Television
Country: United States
Region: North America
Agency: Leo Burnett Co.
Year: 2001
Target: Mainstream
Ad Spotter: Robert Bell
Company: McDonald's Corp.
    View Company Scorecard / Contact Company
Brand: McDonald's
Ad Title: Lightening Bugs/Fashion
Business Category: Restaurants
Media Outlets: Television
Country: United States
Region: North America
Agency: Leo Burnett Co.
Year: 2001
Target: Mainstream
Ad Spotter: Robert Bell
Company: McDonald's Corp.
    View Company Scorecard / Contact Company
Brand: McDonald's
Ad Title: Lightening Bugs/Fashion
Business Category: Restaurants
Media Outlets: Television
Country: United States
Region: North America
Agency: Leo Burnett Co.
Year: 2001
Target: Mainstream
Ad Spotter: Robert Bell
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Theme(s)

Racial Diversity

Camp/Gay Drag

LGBTQ+ Inclusion

Sissies

Theme Breakdown

AdRespect Score: 
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A promotion for the popular cartoon character Hello Kitty is tagged on to a commercial that features Ronald McDonald the clown and features some magic he makes with lightening bugs.

Suddenly a loud and campy hairstylist shouts, "This season's fashion statement -- two words: Hello Kitty!" He's a bald black man with stylish, rose-colored glasses wearing all black.

As a twist on the now famously gay statement, "You go, girl!" the stylist ends by saying -- with a swiveling hip and an added snap for emphasis -- "You go, Kitty!"

The character seems to be a play on the ongoing skits called "Men in Film," featuring two gay-stereotyped film reviewers, from the Wayans brothers' 1990-'94 TV comedy series "In Living Color."

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Geri , Romford, UK
This ad is totally & utterly cringeworthy! The majority of british gay males are nothing like that & I hope to god that not many of the american gay males are! This was so pathetic it made me wanna curl up & die! Whoever dreamed up the idea must have thrown themselves off a bridge by now!

Joe Green , Austin, Tex.
If it weren't for "divas" and flamboyant drag queens, then there would be no gay movement without their courage to stand up show the world their true colors. They are the ones that captured people's attentions and forced them to realize that gay people do exists and they're not going anywhere.

Stephen O'Rourke , unknown
McDonalds "Hello Kitty" is tasteless & vile. Is the gay community now prepared to be saddled with selling non-nutritious food to children thru advertising? Cashing in on a theme or what? Really does offend me.

Michele , New York
The man in the ad is actually a takeoff on Leon Talley, one of the editors for [i]Vogue[/i]. He's a tastemaker. Most women who are fashion-conscious would recognize the spoof. I don't even read fashion mags and I did. So much for gay men being interested in fashion -- Talley is an icon!

Tiff , West Covina
I saw this ad, and it scared the hell out of me. I wondered who was the brainchild that let this out!

Gabriel , UK
Urgh. It's not funny, it's aimed at kids (who, by and large, tend to be homophobic little gits at present), it's not tastefully done, and it's for a company that more or less exemplefies Pure Eeevil. I tend to like adverts with flaming queens, but this one is just foul.

Rees Bennett , San Diego. Calif.
I agrees that this is a spoof of Leon Talley. However, we all know he is a "diva" and a notoriously bitchy-pissy-razor tongued queen who probably doesn't fit in well with the McDonald's campaign (after all, they already have a clown). As for owing the gay movement to queens and divas, we do. But now there are those of us who no longer need to prove our differentness to the world.

Margaret McGregor , Waterloo, ONT, Canada
There was no violence, nor were there anti-gay remarks, just a black man who is supposedly flamingly gay. I understand that this is a sterotype which is overly used to get cheap laughs, but learn to laugh for once!

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Company: McDonald's Corp.
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Company: McDonald's Corp.
Brand: McDonald's
Country: United States
Region: North America
Year: 2001

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Brand: McDonald's
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Country: Philippines
Region: Asia
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AdRespect Score:

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