http://www.365black.com/

Check out 365 Black.  It's McDonald's marketing theme to attract black customers and black employees.  One of the main features of the site involves stories that different black customers and black employees share.

Feel free to explore the site.  It's quite...  interesting.

As you can imagine, reactions to this site have been varied.  Some view it as a harmless niche marketing technique, others see it as offensive for possibly promoting stereotypes.

The latter reaction has inspired parodies of the site, like the following "365white" picture.

http://media.photobucket.com/image/365white/bboyneko/365white.jpg

So, what do you guys think?  Is it appropriate, or is it offensive?

I'm not really interested in clicking on a McDonald's corporate link.

However, I don't see why they need a marketing campaign to attract Black customers/employees per se.  Mickey-D's thrives in inner city neighborhoods, in suburban enclaves, in rural locales, and just about any place a fellow's five bucks in his pocket.

My town, Amherst, Mass., is one of a few places I've seen them fail.  It was not because Amherst is a PC elitist college town, though many an Amherstite did cheer the franchise's failure back in 1995.  The problem was, I think, Mickey-D's opened in the retail space next to Antonio's pizza.  Antonio's is kills whatever food outlet opens there no matter what it is -- The New York-style pizzeria, the McDonald's, the frozen yogurt place, the burger joint, the roast beef sandwich shop, and now a Persian-style eatery is trying to open up their.  I give 'em 15 months tops.  Folks zero in on Antonio's and go there, not the place next to it.

It's marketing.

"365 Black: Clever, Bland, or Offensive?"

Kinda pathetic actually. It's almost like the site is a parody.

It's hard to parody a parody, but the pic is funny. Whether or not one finds it appropriate or offensive depends entirely on how 365 black is perceived.

Ant

However, I don't see why they need a marketing campaign to attract Black customers/employees per se.  Mickey-D's thrives in inner city neighborhoods, in suburban enclaves, in rural locales, and just about any place a fellow's five bucks in his pocket.


I concur.  This link isn't anything new to me.  Most of the McDonald's commercials I see in this area are all targeted towards African-American customers.  It is obviously working since our neighborhood Mickey D's is usually filled to overflowing with Black people.  It kind of sucks because there are like 10 other restaurants in my neighborhood that are a BILLION times better than that crap factory. :P

I concur.  This link isn't anything new to me.  Most of the McDonald's commercials I see in this area are all targeted towards African-American customers.  It is obviously working since our neighborhood Mickey D's is usually filled to overflowing with Black people.  It kind of sucks because there are like 10 other restaurants in my neighborhood that are a BILLION times better than that crap factory. :P


Jess,

Is the Mickey D franchise in your area one of the ones owned by the Singsation's gospel sensation, Dr. Willie Wilson?

http://www.singsation.com/images/banner.jpg

I checked out the site, seems like fairly mild stuff.  It is sort of interesting I could not find anything partifularly "black" about the site other than the fact that everybody on it is black.

If you woulda put a bunch of white guys in the same suits on the same sets, not much difference, I think.  No hip-hop or R&B music for example.  Sounds like a celebration of "black people in a white culture".

But maybe this is a reaction to the original all-black McDonald's ads, which went over the top on the "Hey yo, Mickey D" type dialogue.

It is interesting that in the "365Black" world, it is all black all the time.  No interracial couples or white buddies coming by for a McNugget or two.