Dive Brief:
- McDonald's has revamped the Hamburglar — a cartoon character made iconic in the '90s — as a live character.
- The attempt at making the Hamburglar a more relevant, real person has resulted in a bit of confusion from the Internet. Twitter users pointed out the resemblance between the character and popular hipster traits.
- In a TV spot the Hamburglar is a suburban dad, but in promotional images the character looks more like an millennial urban dweller — causing more confusion.
Wait, is this who we think it is??! https://t.co/rc9xhQrAUi
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) May 6, 2015
What idiot called this guy The Hamburglar and not Mumford and Buns pic.twitter.com/51sNKyHbRl
— Eliza Bayne (@ElizaBayne) May 6, 2015
THE NEW HAMBURGLAR SHOULD NOT LOOK LIKE HE IRONICALLY ENJOYS HAMBURGERS pic.twitter.com/okkLbvHBZy
— Brian Gaar (@briangaar) May 6, 2015
Dive Insight:
Because of disapproval over food and practices, any attempt at revamping the chain's image is perceived to be desperate. The silliness of the Hamburglar character worked as a 90s cartoon, but as a 21st century real-life adult the jury is out. However, the recent decision to raise worker's wages has made a positive impact on its image.
