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McDonald's pulls off controversial China ad

Indiantelevision.com Team

(24 June 2005 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: According to media reports from China, a McDonald's television ad that showed a Chinese man begging has been taken off the air in the country following complaints. The McDonald's ad was pulled earlier this month from stations in Shanghai and at least three other major cities.



Viewers protested that the ad's depiction of a middle-aged man on his knees begging for a discount was disturbing because Chinese consider such an act humiliating, say the reports.



McDonald's, in its statement to local media, defended the ad as an attempt at humor. It also expressed "regret over any (bad) associations or misunderstandings." McDonald's said that the particular ad was a publicity exercise for its year-round special offers. "The ad contained no hidden messages," the statement added.



McDonald's is the latest of several multinational companies whose ad has run into rough 'Chinese' weather. In December, China banned an ad by Nike Inc. showing NBA star LeBron James in a mock video game setting defeating a kung fu master, two women in traditional Chinese attire and a pair of dragons. McDonald's has plans to open about 100 more restaurants in China this year.

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