McDonald’s Penguins of Madagascar Ad Campaign Kicks Off Launch of Cuties in Happy Meals Nationwide
OAK BROOK, IL – Flipping through channels while eating breakfast this morning, a bright flash of color and a familiar logo caught my eye. I was pleasantly surprised to find none other than Sun Pacific Cuties featured as the star attraction alongside the Penguins of Madagascar in a new line of McDonald’s ads. After having had a successful test run throughout the year at select restaurants, the fast food giant is now advertising fresh Cuties in Happy Meals nationwide.
Check out the commercial here:
According to a press release, the kid-sized Sun Pacific Cuties will join McDonald’s lineup of Happy Meal and Mighty Kids Meal side choices. They will be available during their peak season through March 2015.
“We know our customers and parents are looking for ways to enjoy more great-tasting and fun sides in our Happy Meals, the Cuties are the perfect fit,” said Greg Watson, Senior Vice President of Menu Innovation, McDonald’s. “As part of our commitment to help families make more nutritious choices, we’ll continue to explore more fruit and low-fat dairy sides for our youngest customers.”
As we previously reported, McDonald’s has been testing Cuties in select stores since the beginning of this year. The fast food giant is also testing smaller-sized “junior” bananas, which may be added as a future fresh offering depending on the results of the test.
“Our partnership with McDonald’s allows us to share our sweet, easy-to-peel Cuties with even more people across the nation,” said Victoria Nuevo-Celeste, Vice President of Marketing at Sun Pacific. “We’re eager to increase access to wholesome foods kids love and make history with McDonald’s by providing whole fresh fruit.”
The addition of Cuties is in support of McDonald’s partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an organization that was founded by the American Heart Association and Clinton Foundation to increase access to fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy.
“Increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables is critical to ensuring young people have the chance to live long, healthy lives,” said Victoria Brown, Vice President of Strategic Alliances, for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. “According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 60 percent of children do not eat enough fruit to meet daily recommendations. We are excited to see McDonald's find innovative ways to increase customers' access to fruit and vegetables -- as they continue to make progress in our work together to help families and children make healthier choices.”
McDonald's has also released other commercials featuring the Cuties. Check one of them out here:
These Cuties are just the latest fresh offering from McDonald’s. Since March 2012, the company has served more than 1.2 billion bags of apple slices. It is always great to see companies working to increase the consumption of fresh produce among kids.
