McDonald's new CEO, Don Thompson, got into a little trouble a few years back when he suggested that being gay is un-Christian and not "the norm" in America. From Jim Edwards at CBS News:
McDonald's (MCD) COO Don Thompson just said the worst thing he possibly could regarding his company's French ad featuring a gay teenager: He told the Chicago Tribune that it would not be airing in America because "I'm a Christian" (although, he added, he doesn't "impose" his beliefs on others) and it only aired in France because that's "the cultural norm in another part of the world."Sure does. And now the phobe runs the company.
Thompson's veiled implication is that being gay -- or, in the case of the French ad, a closeted gay teenager -- isn't the "norm" in the U.S., and that's part of McDonald's "core values."
This is a business blog, so let's put aside the whole debate about whether being gay is a non-issue or a heinous threat to civilization, and instead focus on whether Thompson's flub is good for selling burgers. Quick answer: It isn't. It makes McD's look stupid and inconsistent, and creates a political debate that will do nothing to help McD's brand.
Here's the ad in question.
