Mumsnet and McDonalds

[tattychicken]

DH popped into a Mcdonalds yesterday to (ahem) use the facilities. Did his usual trick of taking his iPhone with him, and later let me know that when he was connecting to the Internet, the free wifi for McDonalds users popped up 'in conjunction with Mumsnet'!!! The blurb on mumsnet still says they don't allow advertising from mcdonalds, but when we googled it, it turns out this ban was lifted last May, and 'Mumsnet is proud to be associated with the family friendly restaurant'. .

WTF? You might be, MNHQ, but I'm not.

Again, I couldn't give a shit if McD's, Coca Cola or frigging Bulmers advertised in schools. I make the decision about what MY child eats. If she said "I want to eat nothing but Big Macs from now on" I get to say NO.

You know, I have NO idea what or who is currently advertising on MN. I will hazard a guess on Boden and a holiday company. Let's see now...

Made DH bring me a McD's brekkie after I had had DD as the hospital brekkie was shite!

I am a walking advert for junk food being the root of all evil...I am 4 ft 11 and weigh in at a whopping 6 stone 13... Everything in moderation people!

OP - YANBU. McDonalds are shit food and mumsnet working with them and supporting their advertising is a bad decision, which hopefully sensible mumsnetters will persuade them to reverse sooner rather than later.

If the 'about us' page says mumsnet doesn't take advertising from mcdonalds for ethical reasons, great - long may the error continue, reminding us all of a previously principled stance.

I have no problem with the maj of ads.I don't like the GLTC ads as they're shite and there are many a thread where disgruntled members have posted re bad service over the years. I think MN needs to take some responsibility as members will respond to adverts on the site otherwise companies wouldn't put them there.

I just think re advertising MN aren't that great.As a company who lets face it makes a lot of it's cash from members views and posts they choose to ignore principles when it suits but like to trade on the we listen to our members thing.

It's my only beef with MN as I said before so I have no need to defect to NM.I am entitled to voice my opinion as are others.

Ah I was wrong, it's Babies R Us and Isabella Oliver. Now I've looked at them have I got a sudden urge to click in and look at prams and fashion that won't suit me?

Ummm. That'll be a no.

It may be shit food, but bloody hell it tastes nice.

Yep hairylemon because advertising doesn't impact your consumption habits whatsoever, the billions corporations spend trying to persuade us to buy their tat is all irrelevant, and no-one pays any attention.

I've never bought Boden in my life , so clearly the Boden Ads haven't worked on me

I couldn't care less if McDonald's sell junk food; it is up to each of us as an individual to decide what to eat. I do, however, mind that McDonald's treat their employees badly and do not allow them to be in unions. It is worth boycotting them for that reason alone.

So Hairy why wouldn't you be happy with the advertising in primary schools if it has no impact it's neither here nor there wether it's a kid zone?We buy their food after all.

So banditqueen how do you suggest MN makes any money , so the site is free to use?

Does it impact your consumption habits bandit?
Or is it just everybody else under the evil thrall of advertising?

I've not read the thread so apologies if anyone else has mentioned this but read this book then make up your mind;

www.amazon.co.uk/Fast-Food-Nation-All-American-Doing/dp/0141006870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336064324&sr=8-1

Most people go to mcdonalds. what about the other ads. the white company? Living in a different world to me and my kids if you can get away with everything being white so they are being unreasonable

usual suspect - I was commenting that advertising effects all our consumption habits (yes including myself LadyBeagleEyes), so I'd be happier if mumsnet, a community I consider myself part of, was more selective in whose advertising it accepts. A lot of posters on here seem to be suggesting that advertising makes no difference to anything.

According to mumsnet 75% of their users have degrees. We are apparently reasonably well educated and generally middle class. Generally. I dare say most of us feed our children quite well, and know what can be given to them daily and what should be an occasional treat or whatever you want to call it.

I have worked in homelessness services and social housing for donkeys years. I see the babies eating fries for breakfast. The children eating a burger in front of the telly day in, day out, no food in the cupboard or fruit in the bowl. Until recently my mum taught in a primary school in a deprived area. Near a McDonald's. Some children were met by parents carrying a takeout bag for dinner most days. Yes that's poor parenting, but what are we going to do about it?

I am not concerned about the health of the children of any of the posters here. I am concerned about the health of a lot of children in this country. I appreciate that McDonald's is only a part of the problem, but if an organisation as high profile and influential as mumsnet endorses it, what chance will the health visitors and the GPs and the Family Intervention workers have?

At the end of the day Mumsnet have to get money from somewhere to fund the site. Some people are just to rude! mumsnet give us the chance to get free products to try, chances to win vouchers etc and you moan because they put a few advertisements here and there!! ALSO.. The fact that its mcdonalds doesn't bother everyone. There are only a minority of people who insist their children eat rabbit food on a daily basis. People on here are deffinatly two faces aswell because I saw quite a few people on the tesco product test review thread say they would not buy the product again because they have a problem with tesco yet they were happy to get a freebie from them. Mumsnet if you are listening don't advertise in tesco as a few stuck up people may get their knickers in a twist about it.

It's all personal opinion. My dd, 7, has been 3 times in her life- once to use the loo and twice with an ex friend who likes it. It's up to you what you feed your children but I take her to Carluccio instead.

Ok, at the moment MN is free - thanks to advertising. Those mothers in deprived areas feeding their kids shite can come on here and get ideas on how to feed their kids healthily and cheaply. Thus stopping them eating McDs and other shite.

If MN stops the advertising we go back to the bad old days - I've been here long enough to remember paying (CAT me you cunt ) so those mothers in the deprived areas with their poorly fed kids (generalisation much) won't pay to use MN and won't get to see the great advice.

Which is worse?

Most Mc'd don't cook fries until after 10AM FACT. so french fries for breakfast is a lie

Mcdonalds give you the option to change the kids fries to raw carrot sticks if the snobs wish. Maybe if you asked them they could change the coke to tomato juice.

Some children were met by parents carrying a takeout bag for dinner most days. Yes that's poor parenting, but what are we going to do about it?

Continue to teach parents that all things in moderation is the way forward.

And not to feed their kids junk food every single day.

Banning advertising isn't going to make those parents listen if they're not already listening to the advice they're being given.

Continue to teach parents that all things in moderation is the way forward

Good lord - that's the end of Mumsnet right there. Can't have that....

Back calls for affordable, palatable and nutritious school dinners would be another idea.

Ask McDonalds if they'd like to get involved in planning such a scheme, with their expertise of supply chains and so on...

Snobs.

Roffle. Yeah. It's dead snobby, not wanting to eat at McDs.