It’s almost becoming standard practice to trash the crap out of a brand for making even the slightest change to its brand. In some cases the changes are big and in some cases they are small but it seems as though every change is followed by an onslaught of social media outcry from people with nothing better to do than craft a witty Tweet that is then featured in the news which then causes the whole thing to spiral out of control.
Sometimes the reaction is warranted. Most times, it’s just bitching. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there used to be a time in which brands could do whatever the hell they wanted to when it came to their brand and there’d be little to no outcry, at least publicly.
Today, a brand’s CEO can’t take a shit in private without someone tweeting about it. The Gap was publicly chastised into changing back to its old logo when it attempted to create a new one in 2010. Olive Garden changed its logo earlier this year and no one liked that move either. And now, McDonald’s is out with a new character named Happy and no one is happy about it.
While Happy has been around since 2009 overseas, he’s making his debut in America this week. And he’s brought with him the usual collection of “epic fail” headlines and angry tweets.
While the new character is supposed to be about “bringing more fun and excitement to kids’ meals, including eating wholesome food choices like low-fat yogurt,” according to a statement, many are saying Happy’s teeth are too big or he scares children or “this makes me crave Burger King.”
We’re not going to join the parade of embedded tweets simply to give those tweeters an ego boost but we are going to say this; It’s a fucking brand mascot. Who gives a shit? Is it really worth getting your panties and jockstraps in a bunch? Do you really care what the hell McDonald’s does to lie through its teeth telling you its food is healthy?
Go take a walk. Leave your computer and phone behind. Enjoy nature. Kiss your girlfriend/boyfriend/mother/father/mistress and tell them you love them. And don’t hold it against us when we get on our high horse in the near future and rail against something as equally inane as McDonald’s introducing a brand mascot.
