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Bye-bye, Ronald.

The Return Of Rothkoid

14:05 / 22.01.02

McDonald's in France is dropping Ronald for Asterix.

Is this a significant blow to their corporate identity in France, d'y think, or is it merely a further example of the corporate assimilation of varying aspects of local culture?

[ 22-01-2002: Message edited by: The Return Of Rothkoid ]

Ierne

16:15 / 22.01.02

Arrgh...It seems more insidiously wretched somehow to have Asterix selling fast food to a culture renowned for its native cuisine...

Tempus

16:45 / 22.01.02

I agree. I'd find it much less disturbing if they would just keep the damn clown. Leave it to McDonald's to reach back in time and sully my childhood reading.

invisible_al

17:04 / 22.01.02

Arse this is even more sickening than ET selling bloody British Telecom to me.
Wonder when the 'Hands off our Asterix' campaign starts and where do I sign up :-)
And the French don't muck about when some one messes with their culture, baricades and burning Mc D's I reckon.

Ierne

17:27 / 22.01.02

Wonder when the 'Hands off our Asterix' campaign starts and where do I sign up...

Me too!

And what's up with the "Maharaja Mac"??

Fist Fun

04:39 / 23.01.02

I wonder what Jose Bove thinks of this.

Quote from the BBC :

quote:Asterix, the plucky Gaul who takes on the might of the Roman empire, not only represents the power of the little guy versus the big guy - he is also an icon of French individuality refusing to be swamped by the imperial forces.

Is this a 'Victor of Verdun' style turnaround, is Asterix collaborating?

alas

11:44 / 23.01.02

quote: . . . Coca Cola is one of the best-known adherents. Under its current chief executive Donald Daft, the company that once aspired to "teach the world to sing in perfect harmony" has devolved more marketing power to its national divisions. . . .

I must confess to appalling american ignorance as the the character asterix, but "Donald Daft"??? anyone else amused at his expense?

mondo a-go-go

11:48 / 23.01.02

official asterix site (in french)

rizla mission

13:40 / 23.01.02

Asterix, you goddamn sell out!!

Whatever happened to the applaudable moral values you upheld in the classic 'Obelix and Co.', a scathing satirical attack on corporate mentality and economic imperialism?

Our Lady of The Two Towers

16:21 / 23.01.02

What worries me more is the last two McD commercials in this country have had nothing to do with McD at all, it doesn't even appear in the ad.
1) Ron doing 'Do Ron Ron Ron' in a school hall with a load of toddlers
2) Ron doing a song about how brilliant our Mum's are to the 'Do Ron Ron Ron' tune.
To me this seems to be a stage further from all those ads like Nike where the content of the ad has nothing to do with the product until the name at the end. For some reason I find this more disturbing than if the ad finished with saying 'Come to McDonalds, all our food is ultra-healthy and won't give you cancer!'

Our Lady of The Two Towers

16:23 / 23.01.02

And while we're at it...
Your betrayed us Ronald? You betrayed... me?

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