13328: Is Wendy Clark A McHypocrite?

Advertising Age and Business Insider added to the Mickey D’s PR hype, with DDB Worldwide President and CEO of North America Wendy Clark babbling about McBabel—the wondrous-yet-undefined “Agency of the Future” handcrafted to save the Golden Arches.

“…We worked Mother’s Day. We worked Father’s Day,” bragged/whined Clark about the pitch that won the business. “Almost all of the team missed Cannes. So many vacations were postponed.” Yes, it’s nice to know McBabel will be a Mom-unfriendly and Dad-unfriendly sweatshop. That should go over well with any typical Millennials—as well as any lazy Boomers—ultimately employed by the firm. As for missing out on the highly exclusive jaunt to the French Riviera, oh, the humanity!

Mickey D’s “is one of the most democratic and inclusive brands in the world,” gushed Clark. “McDonald’s is for everybody. It’s not exclusionary. It has a broad expanse around the world, availability, value, affordability—you have the ability to have good food at a reasonable price around the corner from you. The brand doesn’t distinguish and hold itself just for small groups. That’s something I love about the brand. They are very clear on what their brand is, and it’s a wonderful thing to have a brand that has that legacy.”

Okey-doke. It will be interesting to see whether or not the restless diversity champion—along with John Wren, Omnicom’s resident Pioneer of Diversity—make good on their vows when erecting McBabel. If the “Agency of the Future” is indeed being built from scratch, it should be easy to incorporate futuristic hiring practices to ensure the staff reflects the democratic and inclusive Mickey D’s audience. Why, it’s the perfect opportunity to bake digital, data and diversity into the core of the company. It’s also the perfect opportunity for Clark and Wren to demonstrate they’re not lying, hypocritical dinosaurs. The next 120 days will reveal the truth.