McDonalds Marketing Beef

I took this photo with my cell phone (hence the resolution) yesterday while out and about in Los Angeles.  The billboard is clear and well designed, but what is the message McDonalds is trying to send?

McDonalds are letting us know that they use 100% beef.  When I first saw the ad a whole slew of thoughts went through my head, and none of them were good!  The first thing that came to mind was ‘good thing I don’t eat at McDonalds.’  I am sure that was not the message they were hoping to send.  If they need to spend good money on letting you know that their hamburgers actually use beef, there must be bigger problems.  Call me naive, but I assumed that all hamburgers used 100% beef.  It’s a little like Harley Davidson saying they use engines in their motorcycles or a 24 Hour Fitness telling you that they actually have weight training equipment in their facilities.  It makes me question what McDonalds has used in the past…maybe a blend of K9 and kangaroo?

Another thing…when it comes to beef, I expect the marketing message to speak of being organic, grass fed, free range, from Angus, or even low fat.  The fact that the big message is simply beef sends the wrong message.  If you have read Fast Food Nation, you know that 100% beef does not mean eatable beef.  If you kill a sick cow that was filled with hormones and antibiotics and run it through a slaughter line that accidently mixes in a few extra cow parts and some fecal matter, it is still 100% beef…sounds good don’t you think!