Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Site stuff

Join our Innovation Panel to try new features early and help make Mumsnet better.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

MNHQ

McDonalds Ads - tell us how do you feel about them folks?

609 replies

JustineMumsnet · 01/03/2011 16:22

Good day MNetters,
We've been asked if we'd host ads for McDonalds, so we thought we'd ask what you think. Would you object to banner ads (ie like the one at the top of the page) on Mumsnet?
Let us know.

OP posts:
SexyDomesticatedDab · 07/03/2011 12:19

Even if McD have improved their buying policy I would not wish to see more fast food adverts on parents sites.

Eleison · 07/03/2011 12:28

I suppose that as long as a company is selective at all about taking adverts, it does carry the implication that the products that get through the selection are 'ok'. So perhaps ethical advertising is a bit 'all or nothing at all'

What does "akin to a social enterprise" mean, for a limited company?

glasnost · 07/03/2011 12:31

The ratio being 2 to 1 pro McD's is a facile argument. Most are pro catital punishment. Doesn't make it right. Plus I'm sure alot of those against were dissuaded from posting by some of the bizarre aggression heaped on those who dared speak out against. And compare the calibre of the posts for and against. I know who I'd rather be aiming for as MNetters.

How sad and disappointing this all is.

Eleison · 07/03/2011 12:32

That was unclear: I mean, the fact of not accepting all adverts entails some endorsement of the products that are allowed to advertise? I don't know. Ads don't bother me: they all seem equally nasty and manipulative but their saving grace is that they are frankly and clearly in ther own separate paid-for space, with 'liar' marked implicitly above it.

glasnost · 07/03/2011 12:33

CAPITAL punishment I meant. Damn this one finger typing while bfing!

Youllskimmer · 07/03/2011 12:41

It doesn't show you support Macdonalds but it shows you accept Macdonalds.

glasnost · 07/03/2011 12:53

And a simple but salient point. Why risk disappointing a third of your users (I suspect many more actually) by running these ad's? There are plenty of other companies out there.

Why do you feel you HAVETO acquiesce to McD's?

MilaMae · 07/03/2011 12:55

2 threads do not a ballot make.

Often on threads you get one or two vociferous posters and a bandwagon approach starts to happen.If a very brave poster puts her/his head above the parapet then other points filter in as people feel a tad braver and more able to contribute.

This thread is no different from any other and to base such an important decision on a thread is not right in mvho. If you were to send a round robin e-mail to every member and go with that majority it would sit better with me.I'd be very disappointed and my views of mn would change in that it was no longer the same place I thought it was and I'd be on here far less frequently(no bad thing probably) but it would be a fairer decision.

Having said that I think mn will loose a lot of it's integrity, and I think will have less of a voice if it did run with an ad.

Justine if you don't mind me saying you seem to have ignored many of the very good points about why a McD ad would be wrong. The only argument for an ad is people don't care and there are big bucks involved. It's as if said points just don't matter to you and unless the baying majority of a thread came into play you're happy to close your ears to some important issues,take the money and run. Hmmm some similarity to our current government methinks.

You say mn won't go bankrupt without the ad so why even consider it,nobody particularly wants it ,many sadly just don't care. Are their really no other decent companies willing to advertise on here that would generate similar revenue?If I was a company selling something used by mothers this site would be my first port of call,I can't believe you're not bombarded by requests.If you're not you should be.

Sorry to be so blunt but I'm very Sad and rather disappointed about the whole issue.

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 07/03/2011 12:59

well I don't really want boden or most of the other advertisers........

BecauseImWorthIt · 07/03/2011 13:00

Who you accept advertising from is, of course, entirely up to you, as it is your business. And believe you me, I know how difficult these kind of decision are. Where do you draw the line?

But I wonder how many of MN members have even read this thread, never mind voted on it? I know it's been a sticky, and it's been there for a while, but I'm constantly amazed by the number of (fairly regular) posters who seem to miss sticky threads.

Does this therefore count as a true consultation exercise? It seems a very significant thing, such a change in policy.

glasnost · 07/03/2011 13:00

Our thoughts collided MilaMae.

Why ARE they even considering it?

And who'd want only MNetters whose considered opinion on the subject is one of: it's all about the cash!!!!! C'mon we're not that easily fobbed off.

PaperView · 07/03/2011 13:02

BIWI - i am sure there is an option to hide sticky threads so maybe not everyone see them?

glasnost · 07/03/2011 13:02

Baroque that's why I stuck it up on AIBU. To reach more people as I didn't even know the exicstence of this site stuff bit.

glasnost · 07/03/2011 13:03

Sorry I meant BIWI I'm not having a typetastic morning so far.

Eleison · 07/03/2011 13:07

Yes, I agree biwi. I wouldn't have minded at all if MNHQ just put up McD ads without asking us it is their business not ours. But by having such a shambolic gesture at consultation all they have really achieved is just to co-opt the MN users as 'backing'/approving/etc whatever decision they take. That's what happens again and again on MN: it seems to exist as a place for all sorts of interests to make a very slight gesture of dialogue and then claim a widespread endorsement. That is even the reality of the LGBG company endorsements we lend our validation with minimal actual power..

MilaMae · 07/03/2011 13:08

Jamie's got Innocent ads on his site,why can't we?

Feel like I've stepped into a virtual Jamie's Dinners sooooooo need to get him on here glasnost.

I personally believe there was an awful lot of crappy eating showing off on half of this thread,Mcmuffin one upmanship,you get a snowball effect,seen it time and time again. Why on earth you'd want to base such an important decision on it is beyond me.

MilaMae · 07/03/2011 13:16

Netmums has Flora Active,what do we get -Ronald Mc bloody Donald Confused!!!!!!!!

slim22 · 07/03/2011 13:18

agreed Eleison

MNHQ
JustineMumsnet · 07/03/2011 13:26

@BecauseImWorthIt

Who you accept advertising from is, of course, entirely up to you, as it is your business. And believe you me, I know how difficult these kind of decision are. Where do you draw the line?

But I wonder how many of MN members have even read this thread, never mind voted on it? I know it's been a sticky, and it's been there for a while, but I'm constantly amazed by the number of (fairly regular) posters who seem to miss sticky threads.

Does this therefore count as a true consultation exercise? It seems a very significant thing, such a change in policy.

Can only say again - we have always used discussion on the site to inform our ad policy. It's not scientific it's indicative and I think it gives us a pretty fair indication of the strength of feeling although of course it can never be completely accurate - but then what would be? MN is after all a discussion site. Can you imagine if we suddenly changed policy, do you really think it wouldn't be discussed? Think a lot of folk (dare I say including you and and Eleison BIWI Grin) would be the first to say, I can't believe you changed your policy without discussing it first, don't you? And rightly so because that's the way we've done it since we started.

OP posts:
MNHQ
JustineMumsnet · 07/03/2011 13:28

@MilaMae

Jamie's got Innocent ads on his site,why can't we?

Feel like I've stepped into a virtual Jamie's Dinners sooooooo need to get him on here glasnost.

I personally believe there was an awful lot of crappy eating showing off on half of this thread,Mcmuffin one upmanship,you get a snowball effect,seen it time and time again. Why on earth you'd want to base such an important decision on it is beyond me.

Don't worry Innocent (owned by Coca Cola btw) coming soon Wink.

OP posts:
solo · 07/03/2011 13:29

I'm anti McD's anyway, so my answer is noooooooo!!!. Where will it end?

BecauseImWorthIt · 07/03/2011 13:30

Justine - I absolutely agree about discussion! I think it's a great thing that you do this, and value the input of MNetters actually I think you're quite mad to take any notice of us Grin.

The point I was trying to make was that I wondered how many MNers had taken part, and if this was enough/representative.

Eleison · 07/03/2011 13:33

Nope, I wouldn't have said it Justine. I dislike the equvocation of business and community entity and I think that consulting on something like the adverts you take is exactly such an equivocation.

I think there are two entirely distinct things: (1) a business owning a talk platform and selling ads; and (2) a set of talkers. I have never wanted a say in the business, because I have never wanted to pretend that a business can champion me. I only want to ensure that whenever the business claims to talk for the talkers, it does so on very good grounds. I would prefer it not to talk for us.

MNHQ
JustineMumsnet · 07/03/2011 13:34

@BecauseImWorthIt

Justine - I absolutely agree about discussion! I think it's a great thing that you do this, and value the input of MNetters actually I think you're quite mad to take any notice of us Grin.

The point I was trying to make was that I wondered how many MNers had taken part, and if this was enough/representative.

As I said it's indicative. (nb There is an interesting stat about surveys - something along the lines of you can predict the result of surveys of 1000 plus within an accuracy of 5% after the first 100 responses...I'll dig it out.)

OP posts:
MilaMae · 07/03/2011 13:36

God is nothing sacred Sad

Any Fairtrade companies in the pipeline?

I don't see how you're discussing it though if you're ignoring(and not addressing) many of the valid points that have been raised.