And now: A 3rd subversive Hummer-inspired web-activist site (here’s the first and second):
RonaldMcHummer‘s a reaction to McDonald’s decision to put mini hummers in its happy meals.
Thus, the site. Visitors can create their own McDonald’s signs, download them, and send them along to their friends.
Wrote Matthew Fried of the Environmental Working Group, the org behind the site, in an email to me: “go make a sign before they sue us.”
To the left is my effort!
EWG expects to hear from McDonald’s soon, so get on making your own slogan –
Update, 9/8/06: McDonald’s responds to people grossed out by its mini-Hummered happy meals by putting up a post on McDonald’s CSR blog claiming that “the miniature Hummers are just toys, not vehicle recommendations.” Enviroblog responds by pointing out that Hummers’re “not in the business of making kids happy. They are in the business of selling vehicles that pollute the air, waste gas, heat up the atmosphere and send asthmatic kids to the hospital.”
Update, 9/30/06: I finally saw the extra features for Supersize Me — and now I’m frightened by french fries –
Was it just me or was this fun? Maybe I have too much time on my hands. Inspired by what I learned in Who Killed the Electric Car? – here’s a link to mine!
http://www.ronaldmchummer.com/makesign.php?line1=And%20you%20thought%20&line2=lung%20lesions&line3=wouldn't%20sell?&line4=&download=1
Comment by Callie — August 16, 2006 @ 2:16 pm
Callie — Love the lung lesions ad! It looks like the app’s having a bit of trouble with apostrophes though. In any case, yes, I tots agree. I mean, I have too much time I can devote to wasting –
Comment by Siel — August 16, 2006 @ 10:03 pm
What a good initiative! We have done a similar thing in Italy for “Aquariusâ€, the lemon flavoured water launched recently here by Coca Cola. The company has created a website http://www.votaquarius.it in which users are invited to go and vote for one of the two Commercials (Italian called: Spot A and Spot B, realized by two different marketing agencies) in order to let consumers decree the best commercial. Our response (mine and 2 friends from Equonomia.it Ngo) has been http://www.votaaquarius.it and http://www.votacquarius.it in which we try to explain to users/consumers that water is an important resource and that every year over two million people die from diseases related to unsafe water. Our message is “Water is life: the World needs water NOT Lemon Juiceâ€!!
And, especially that Company marketing can’t use consumers as stupid puppets!!
Comment by laura — August 18, 2006 @ 6:51 am
Thanks for posting this, S. I’ve put a post up on Treehugger about it, and have been amazed at the level of vitriol in the comments… Who’d have thought a little bit of corporate activism would generate such heat…
Comment by Jeff at sustainablog/Treehugger — August 18, 2006 @ 2:06 pm
Wow! I guess green LA girl readers are much more cognizant of the powers of a lil fun subversive action.
Loved some of the comments on Treehugger tho — Esp. this one: “Little boys yearn to be carbon neutral.” True! I think (hope?), at least…
Comment by Siel — August 18, 2006 @ 6:34 pm
I liked that one, too… The rest took on the tone of a Samuel Beckett play… Seems to have finally died down, though.
Comment by Jeff at sustainablog — August 19, 2006 @ 6:03 am
Want to See Ronald in a Hummer?
Watch UNHAPPY MEAL at http://www.rroom.org in the videos section or search for R Room on youtube.com and watch it there larger.
Comment by John R — September 25, 2006 @ 9:08 am
Hey John — Thanks for the link to R Room! A fun project with an ambitious goal! I’ll have to watch all the videos now –
Comment by Siel — September 25, 2006 @ 9:29 pm