McDonald’s Mess-Up: Company Apologizes For Tasteless ‘You’re Not Alone’ Ad, Mocks Depressed People [PHOTO]

Well, for McDonald’s, some damage control has been made because of a controversial print advertisement that’s been seen on Boston’s public transit system.

The ad shows a clearly distraught and depressed woman with her hand covering her face and words in large print next to her, saying: “You’re Not Alone. Millions of people love the Big Mac.”

To make matters worse, on the bottom ribbon of the ad is a phone number that reportedly connects to the fast-food chain’s corporate headquarters for people to call -- like a help line.

In a statement, McDonald's spokeswoman, Nicole DiNoia, said, “A local print ad displayed on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was recently brought to our attention. We can confirm this ad was not approved by McDonald’s. And, as soon as we learned about it, we asked that it be taken down immediately. We have an approval process in place, with our marketing and advertising agencies, to ensure that all advertising content is consistent with our brand values. Regrettably, in this incident, that process was not followed. We sincerely apologize for this error.”

Boston commuters were quick to tweet out pictures of the ad (above) before it was taken down.

President Pam Hamlin, of Arnold, the ad house that printed the signs, told The Huffington Post that it hadn't obtained approval from McDonald’s to produce the ad. Hamlin called the incident an “unintended error.”

DiNoia, in Boston Magazine, said, “We’re working on tracking down just who did fund an entire McDonald’s ad campaign, if not McDonald’s, and we’ll update with answers.”

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