Entry edited on: January 11, 2010.
Click here for the link to the Mcdonalds Tween TVC
I like this new Mcdonalds Tween Commercial.
A lot of people I know have been saying that they don’t like this commercial. Sure, the kid in the beginning seems “bastos” (disrespectful) for telling his parents that it’s embarrassing to have them be seen with him. But in all honesty, tweens are really like that. I’m not saying all are, but at that age, kids really do start to feel embarrassed to be with their parents. Honestly, there were times that I felt the same way as well. I’m not going to lie and say that I never felt not-embarrassed with my parents around. Even at 21, I sometimes feel that way.
What I love about the commercial is how at the end of it all, parents will always be parents and love their kids. It’s a very Filipino thing, in my opinion. Despite the kid shooing his parents off, in the end, when he was in trouble, his parents were right there. The look on the kid’s face after he found out that his parents had paid for him, was really touching.
It’s actually pretty good. The tween learns that even after all he had done to his parents, they still bothered to look after the son.
Thoughts on specifics of the commercial.
Though many people disagree with the presentation of Mcdonalds’ commercial, possibly influencing children to act in a way similar to the tween in the commercial, I believe that the commercial can be seen in a better light.
Honestly, the tween in the commercial was disrespectful to his parents, shooing them away so that he could look good for his date. Yes, this part can be interpreted in a bad way, but I think Mcdonalds was being very truthful in portraying how some tweens really are nowadays. Kids nowadays are growing up too fast, and in the process, try to get away from their parents’ clutches earlier and earlier in life. Yet, the TVC later on portrays the child’s “immaturity” as he realizes that he doesn’t have enough cash to pay for his date. It is when the girl at the counter tells him that his meal has been paid for and he sees his parents driving off that the tween realizes his mistake. Or well, that’s how I interpret it.
For me, that ending can really be a lesson for tweens instead of something “degrading”. I’ve heard some people say that the ending is not good as it portrays that parents will always be there to bail their children out in spite of their actions. True, but instead of looking at it in a bad way, it could be interpreted through the tween realizing that in spite of his wanting to grow up, he’s still too young and still needs to depend on his parents. Viewers who watch this commercial can understand this as a child realizing that in the end, he is really just a child and that his actions towards his parents was a mistake. In effect, making the child feel guilty towards his previous actions of telling his parents that nakakahiyang kasama sila (it’s embarrassing to be seen with them). Basically, the tween also realizes that in the end, his parents really love him. <3
Mcdonalds, love ko ‘to.