础听spot by McDonald’s聽caused much debate聽in Italy back in 2015.
In the spot a family is at a pizzeria; while waiting for the聽parents 鈥� who聽look very much undecided 鈥撀爐o make their choice, the waiter聽asks their child which pizza he would like to have. To it, he聽promptly聽replies “A Happy Meal”.
The camera view changes,聽and the family is now at a McDonald’s.聽“Your child has no doubts”, says an聽outside voice.
(this spot by McDonald’s has now been removed from TV and from Youtube)
Was McDonald’s trying to say聽their food is better than pizza?
The spot is gone and we don’t talk about it anymore, but it caused a debate that is evergreen.
Neapolitan pizzaioli raised against what they consider a blasphemous spot, attacking one of the most important and best loved聽symbols of Italy, so much so,聽it is called in the same way all over the world. Eduardo Pagnani, one of the owners of the pizzeria Brandi聽(where according to legend聽辫颈锄锄补听惭补谤驳丑别谤颈迟补 was invented), says ”聽pizza shouldn’t be touched: it’s a quality food”. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana warned they would take聽legal action against McDonald’s and the content of the spot.
McDonald’s replied聽they did not mean to attack pizza. They just wanted to represent a scene that all parents witness: it happens in all families, once in a while to see their child asking for McDonald’s instead of pizza.
Comments to the McDonald’s video on YouTube are plenty. Most Italians are outraged by a spot that favors junk food over hearthy 鈥� and all in all聽healthy 鈥� pizza. Children, they continue, like聽Happy Meals聽just because of the present in the box;聽they associate the smell of聽burgers to the joy they feel at seeing the toy when they open the box. This is how McDonald’s tries to win more clients. But is this the solution? Offering a “Happy Pizza”, a pizza with a small present for children? Traditionally, dinner with family in Italy means聽sitting all together at the table and enjoying a meal in conviviality.聽聽Letting a child play with a new toy is like betraying this tradition. Should we give up our traditions for the sake of a trendy dinner?
The Neapolitan community shot its聽own spot in return:聽a pizza “a portafoglio”, folded, is what a “scugnizzo” (child in Neapolitan) really聽wants. And it’s only 1-1.50 euro a piece.
The reply of the Neapolitan community
The debate was hot, and will never get old. And all happened at the eve of Milan Expo 2015, an event聽dedicated to food and its cultural influences and of which Mcdonald’s was a sponsor.
