McDonald’s ‘Shrek’ Marketing Aimed At Kids’ Health

Chicago Tribune:

McDonald’s Corp., the maker of Chicken McNuggets and McFlurry desserts, said it will emphasize fruit, vegetables and milk in new promotions tied to the animated film Shrek the Third.

Marketing will include Happy Meals toys in the shape of Shrek, a stout, green ogre, and promotions of salads, chicken sandwiches, sliced apples and low-fat milk for children, Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald’s said in a statement.

Shrek’s affiliation with McDonald’s sparked criticism last month from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, an advocacy group concerned about kids’ obesity. Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc., the studio led by Jeffrey Katzenberg, teamed with McDonald’s after the world’s largest restaurant company and Walt Disney Co. last year ended an exclusive marketing accord.

McDonald’s said it will use Shrek images on packaging for foods including carrot sticks, organic milk and fruit bags in the U.K. U.S. consumers who purchase food can buy 16-ounce drinking glasses with Shrek characters for $1.99 apiece.

McDonald’s and DreamWorks, the film’s maker, announced the steps at a downtown Chicago McDonald’s. The movie opens May 18. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Children praised the promotion of healthier food, though the Boston-based group said McDonald’s is ‘capitalizing on Shrek’s enormous popularity to bring kids into their restaurants.’