McD’s picked up US$ 1,600 of the cost of printing report card jackets for the 2007-08 school year in a Florida county in exchange for a Happy Meal coupon on the card’s cover. Based on the 27,000 elementary school kids taking these covers home a total of 3-4 times per year, that is less than 2 cents per impression. The program rewarded children who earned A’s and B’s and that had less than 2 absences entitling them to a free meal, provided they presented their card.
This program has riled a few consumer groups. Susan Linn, director for The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood was at the top of the list claiming the Golden Arches has now hit an all new low by directly targeting kids and bypassing parents.
Regina Klaers, spokeswoman for the school district, defended their take by saying that the report cards contained some form of advertisement for the last decade. Pizza Hut sponsored the printing up until last year and added that to date, ONLY one parent had complained about the jacket.
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