Bad is the new good

Today, the organization Corporate Accountability International is launching a campaign calling for the "retirement" of Ronald McDonald, releasing a 28-page report that likens him to a drug dealer, pedophile and modern day Pied Piper encouraging children to rebel against their parents.

The folks is Oak Brook must be ecstatic.

Nothing can unify and ignite a fan base faster than a group calling to outlaw a favorite brand. Especially if that group comes off as a self-righteous, elite and plays into the perception that America is quickly becoming a nanny-state.

The underlying message of this campaign to the millions of people who go to McDonald's is "you're too stupid to figure it out for yourselves so we're going to take care of it for you." Not a great way to endear yourself to people you want to join your movement.

Already there are three "don't retire Ronald" fan groups on Facebook and I wouldn't be surprised to see "Save Ronald" rallies at McDonald's restaurants.

The other thing this movement does is give McDonald's executives the opportunity to go on television news programs across the country and talk about all the good Ronald has done for communities.

If you want to get rid of Ronald and convince McDonald's that marketing directly to children is bad, there's a better way to go about it than this.