Lost Racist "You Better Don't" McDonalds Ad
Dec 1, 2023 23:16:53 GMT
generalironbeak, nostalgiaguy, and 5 more like this
Post by buttonrevenge on Dec 1, 2023 23:16:53 GMT
For the past couple of days, I've been obsessed with a specific lost ad from the early 2000s documented in this Reddit thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/u17ipl/you_better_dont_a_strange_mcdonalds_commercial/). Pulled or banned media piques my curiosity in general, but this one specifically caught my eye.
The story goes that in fall of 2004 (Most likely early September), McDonalds started running a television ad promoting their Chicken Selects chicken tenders. The ad goes as follows: A young black woman boards an airplane with the Chicken Selects chicken. When the flight attendant of the plane reaches for the box to discard it, she shuts it and yells "You Better Don't!"
You can see forums from the time (https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-ad-you-better-dont/264700/7) that comment on the ad, with a mix of confusion, offense, and some people defending the ad. There are also other references to the ad throughout the internet (https://www.theroot.com/why-can-t-ads-get-black-women-right-1790869917, arstechnica.com/civis/threads/mcdonalds-ad-strategy-or-only-black-people-buy-big-macs.477247/, www.quora.com/Whats-the-worst-McDonalds-commercial-of-all-time/answer/Sidney-Cooper-4?ch=15&oid=344630442&share=9ca3585e&srid=uyAdzw&target_type=answer).
The reason I'm interested in the ad is not because of the racist connotations, but because of how well remembered it seems to be despite being impossible to find online. It seems the ad was pulled less than a month into its run, and it's completely absent online, but it's still being referenced in news articles 5 years after its first airing, so it clearly generated a notable amount of controversy.
As for leads? I've found this ad that is likely from the same campaign (https://youtu.be/5Q-WFr51H04?si=SXEbpX_awnajTUfg). Besides that, I think the best course of action would be what one commenter on the Reddit thread suggested: to look through ad breaks from early September 2004 on adult-targeted networks (Comedy Central, TV Land, etc), as McDonalds was specifically targeting adult consumers with their Chicken Selects product.
The story goes that in fall of 2004 (Most likely early September), McDonalds started running a television ad promoting their Chicken Selects chicken tenders. The ad goes as follows: A young black woman boards an airplane with the Chicken Selects chicken. When the flight attendant of the plane reaches for the box to discard it, she shuts it and yells "You Better Don't!"
You can see forums from the time (https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-ad-you-better-dont/264700/7) that comment on the ad, with a mix of confusion, offense, and some people defending the ad. There are also other references to the ad throughout the internet (https://www.theroot.com/why-can-t-ads-get-black-women-right-1790869917, arstechnica.com/civis/threads/mcdonalds-ad-strategy-or-only-black-people-buy-big-macs.477247/, www.quora.com/Whats-the-worst-McDonalds-commercial-of-all-time/answer/Sidney-Cooper-4?ch=15&oid=344630442&share=9ca3585e&srid=uyAdzw&target_type=answer).
The reason I'm interested in the ad is not because of the racist connotations, but because of how well remembered it seems to be despite being impossible to find online. It seems the ad was pulled less than a month into its run, and it's completely absent online, but it's still being referenced in news articles 5 years after its first airing, so it clearly generated a notable amount of controversy.
As for leads? I've found this ad that is likely from the same campaign (https://youtu.be/5Q-WFr51H04?si=SXEbpX_awnajTUfg). Besides that, I think the best course of action would be what one commenter on the Reddit thread suggested: to look through ad breaks from early September 2004 on adult-targeted networks (Comedy Central, TV Land, etc), as McDonalds was specifically targeting adult consumers with their Chicken Selects product.
