“More men have walked on the moon than been Ronald McDonald.”
Crafting the mascot of Ronald McDonald turned out to be one of the most successful marketing strategies of McDonald’s. However, have you ever wondered how this character came into being? Let’s have a look at the inception story of the quintessential clown who has become synonymous with the image of the fast food chain.
Initially, the company’s motive was to capitalize on the popularity of the iconic character, ‘Bozo the clown’, which eventually turned out to be really effective. They simply advertised the character on children’s shows in the Washington area and soon enough, children were seen dragging their parents to McDonald’s outlets.
In 1963, the company decided to create their own character, which sparked the birth of ‘Ronald McDonald’. The first role of the mascot clown was played by Willard Scott. At that time, Ronald’s outfit featured a cardboard tray for a hat and a paper cup over his nose. However, the company realized that this was not prime time material and recognized the need to redesign the character. When the company finally decided on playing big with regard to their promotional and branding campaigns, they fired Willard and brought in a new-look Ronald, the one we are familiar with today.
Mascots are not just characters – they are an integral part of a brand and its image. Since 1960, only nine men have played this role. All these actors had to follow strict policies in addition to going through an extensive and grueling training program. You will never find two Ronald mascots at the same place. These policies are so strict that the actors are even forbidden to reveal their true identity. Once, an actor got into a car crash and was detained by the police. When he was asked his real name, he hilariously refused to respond and kept on addressing himself as “Ronald McDonald”.
After all, comedy is a serious business!
Marquess - The Marketing Club Of IIM Ranchi 