McDonald's Social Media Posts Focus On Kids In Lower-Middle-Income Countries: Study

McDonald's social media marketing seems to be focusing more on kids in lower-middle-income countries, a new study has found. This could have an effect on the risk for diet-related health issues in these regions.

McDonald's is the "largest fast food company in the world," operating in 101 countries, the British Medical Journal noted in a news release. However, not much is known about the advertising techniques it uses in different continents.

"Social media advertising by fast food companies continues to increase globally, and exposure to food advertising contributes to poor diet and negative health outcomes (eg, cardiovascular disease)," the researchers of a new study, published in BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health, noted.

McDonald's Instagram Accounts

To shed light on the company's marketing techniques on social media, the researchers looked at its Instagram page in seven high-income (the U.S., Australia, the U.K., Canada, the UAE, Portugal and Panama), five upper-middle-income (Romania, Lebanon, Malaysia, Brazil and South Africa) and three lower-middle-income (Indonesia, Egypt and India) countries.

The researchers captured screenshots of the posts from the accounts from September to December 2019 and "quantified the number of followers, 'likes,' 'comments' and video views associated with each account in April 2020." Collectively, the company's accounts in these countries have a total of 10 million followers, 3,883,952 million 'likes,' 164,816 comments and 38.2 million video views.

The researchers identified 849 marketing posts but found that there were more posts in the three lower-middle-income countries compared to the others. In fact, there were 154% more posts in the lower-middle-income countries compared to the higher-income countries.

"Approximately 12% of the posts in high-income countries included child-targeted themes compared with 22% in lower-middle-income countries," the researchers wrote. "Fourteen percent of the posts in high-income countries included price promotions and free giveaways compared with 40% in lower-middle-income countries."

Furthermore, the accounts in higher-income countries depicted more healthy habits than the accounts in upper-middle and lower-middle-income countries.

Healthcare Issues In Vulnerable Countries

The researchers noted that as an observational study, it can't establish cause and effect, noting that it must be "interpreted cautiously." It also doesn't take other information such as purchasing behaviors into account. In addition, it's possible that McDonald's in different countries operate differently, following different chains of command and operating structures.

"In the U.S., the social media accounts are typically coordinated within a company; however, if accounts are contracted out in other countries, there may be additional variables to consider," the researchers wrote.

The researchers noted that the company's social media reach, particularly in lower-middle-income countries, is "concerning because of the increased risk of diet-related illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, in these regions."

As the researchers explained, consuming fast food is among the factors that influence poor diet, which "may precipitate" diet-related conditions. It has been estimated that there are about 3.8 billion social media users, and exposure to such ads in social media "may place vulnerable groups — particularly those in lower-income countries — at increased risk for obesity and diet-related chronic conditions."

"As social media use grows, fast food companies' social media ads may have unprecedented effects on dietary options, especially in lower-income countries," the researchers explained.

"By targeting certain subsets through child-targeted ads and price promotions, McDonald's social media ads may exacerbate healthcare issues in the most vulnerable countries in the world. These data support the growing need to address the globalization of food and beverage marketing in developing countries that may experience higher burdens of poor diet, obesity and related illnesses," they added.