Going beyond happy cows and urban limericks McDonald is showing a different side of the brand. In the new adverts McD shows how it sources the best ingredients from not 1 or 2 but more than 17,000 British and Irish farmers, takes part in animal welfare, recycles used cooking oil into bio-diesel to power its delivery fleet sustainably, researching on best beef farming practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Read: Can beef be more sustainable?)
What’s so inspiring about this campaign is, it’s McD that is doing it. A consumer facing company, which reaches out to 47 million customers everyday in 119 countries (source), when it talks about sustainability, ecofriendlyness and best practices it does make impact. Impact not just in terms of people who order or drop in at its 31,000 restaurants spread across 6 continents, this campaign also means a lot to thousands of other companies who do not dare to bring forth such concept and play safe.
In terms of integrating sustainability and social responsibility in its core business model, this campaign stands out and destined to win many awards in the coming months. I won’t take names, but we know many companies merely dropping in CSR initiatives without much alignment and vision.
The adverts are about reducing energy, water, waste and community development, but it also talks about human health. A fast food giant is talking about making a healthier society. That’s big and inspiring.
