Would you think of taking on McDonalds? Well no, nor would I – but it can be done – and you can win….
Yesterday I was talking to Gillian White of 24Vend, sponsors of the new and very popular ‘Food to go and for vending machine’ category in this year’s FreeFrom Food Awards, telling her about the great entries that we had had – see Friday’s blog. ‘Fantastic’, she said, ‘that just makes what is already a very good week as we have just bested McDonalds!’
McDonalds, it appears, had made this cookie little video promoting the wonders of their coffee which they were showing in Germany and had put up on YouTube. The trouble was the message: vending machines are useless (the lady in the clip cannot get a coffee vending machine to work so gives it a good kick and goes off and buys a McDonalds) so you should not bother with them and go straight to the Golden Arches.
Gillian took very reasonable offence on the part of the vending industry and wrote to McDonalds to say so, not mincing her words:
‘….Whilst the creative teams commissioned by you may find their work of high quality and marketing worth, I wonder if they have considered the resulting desiurion: belittling an industry which has, at its roots, a heritage traceable to the invention of vending Holy Water by Hero of Alexandria (AD10 to AD70)……… In many spheres of contemporary life, deriding someone in the fashion you have adopted would, at best, be called arrogance and at worst, bullying…..’ and more…
I am not sure that McDonalds went so far as to apologise, but they have removed the video from YouTube as, as far as I know, from German TV! Yessssss!!
Vending machines are the bane of my life… well not quite. But you have to watch out that your black coffee is not contaminated with milk, I don’t trust them. Are the tubes separate? How do you make sure yours is safe? At my local waitrose I am too scared to make use of the vending machine free coffee because I’m not sure if my black coffee or black tea will contain any milk… too risky. Shame too. Perhaps I’ll speak to them to see if they have add a hot water option… some have that so at least you can just add water to a tea bag. I’m so fussy. :o) PS. Not that I’m expert on MaccieDs but is it McDonalds? or MacDonalds? I thought it was the former.
Ah yes…. can see that. Must admit that when thinking of freefrom vending machines I was thinking of the variety that give you a sandwich or a bar or chocolate, all individually wrapped and secure, rather than the ones that dispense coffee or tea which I can see could be a contamination nightmare….
And you are quite right – it is McDonalds, not Mac… I never could spell!!