When a company tries to promote its product, it usually just hires actors and does some editing to make it look as amazing as possible. However, in rare cases, you might actually see the CEO of the company getting involved. Not too long ago, the current McDonald’s CEO, Chris Kempczinski, who currently lives in Illinois, decided it was a great time for him to promote the company by eating some burgers. It sounds like a simple idea at first, but the execution was rather questionable.
The video started with him showing the Big Arch, then reacting to the size of the burger. The Illinois man then began explaining what the new McDonald’s burger included. From the buns to the meat, the McDonald’s CEO certainly tried his best to make the new item seem appealing. He finally took a bite of the new McDonald’s burger, even showing it off and calling it “a big bite for a big arch.” He then boasted that this new product was something only McDonald’s could make.
Sadly for him, the internet wasn’t fully buying it. Many users found the video extremely performative and fake. Some even argued that there was no way the McDonald’s CEO actually finished eating the Big Arch. “He definitely doesn’t eat McDonald’s,” one user wrote.
Others wondered why the marketing team even allowed this to happen, but then again, the Illinois man was the CEO, and what he said goes. “Sir, your marketing team may have been too scared to tell you because you are the CEO, but you do not have a face or a demeanor conducive to attracting new clientele,” one Redditor commented.
Of course, there were still people who fully bought the advertisement, with some even saying that they now wanted to eat McDonald’s. Unsurprisingly, people on LinkedIn were being their usual overly positive selves and showered the Illinois man with praise.“I’m a vegetarian, and a McDonald’s cheeseburger would be the first meat product I would eat if I ever switched back! Yes nostalgia, yes consistency, but really it’s about the flavor!” one LinkedIn user commented.
Those on other platforms were more critical of the video. Some users found it odd that he referred to the burger as a “product.” “Product!…That’s put me right off! Just call it a burger, my friend 😂 You’re not working in a chemist!” one user wrote. Others remarked that the Illinois man didn’t even take that big of a bite. “That was the smallest first bite I’ve ever seen,” one commenter said.
