McDonald's launches into sports wearables

January 12, 2020

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McDonald’s distributing fitness trackers in their menus may seem ironic. And yet this will be the case in the United States and Canada during the period of the Olympic Games.

McDonald’s, your child's health friend?

It's been over 30 years now that McDonald’s offers toys with its children's menu : the Happy Meal. Many voices have risen over the years to denounce the fact that it encouraged parents and children to eat more junk food, increasing the risk of obesity and diabetes for these people.

Although the channel has tried to include more educational or surprising games, like virtual reality glasses, she never really put forward physical activity in the toys she gave to children (apart from a pedometer in 2004).

A cheap product but of good will

As the Olympic Games dominate the news, the fast food giant encourages young people to move more with a brand new fitness tracker called Step-it. All Happy Meals sold in the United States and Canada will be accompanied by one of the six bracelets that include a pedometer and a flashing light that accelerates or decelerates depending on the activity of the child.

Be careful, we are far from a Fitbit Surge or a Bed, whether in terms of functionality, design, or production quality. But for the price of this type of menu, hard to expect better. The main goal is to encourage children to exercise, they who are often not considered a target audience for this type of product.

A new image for McDonald’s

McDonald's wants to break away from its brand image promoting idleness and junk food. According to the brand's marketing manager in Canada, Michelle McIlmoyle: “ Step-it is perfectly consistent with the general philosophy of McDonald’s toys, which is to create toys that encourage physical or imaginative play. "

The physical activity tracker will be available for four weeks during which advertisements will be broadcast on both television and YouTube. As sponsor and official restaurant of the 2020 Olympic Games, it makes sense for the chain to include this type of device in its menus in order to to try to get kids to do more sport while watching athletes on TV.

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