You don't understand. They're not trying to get the OED to change the word.
Oh, sure, that's what they SAY they're trying to do, but they're really not.
They're trying to defend the word, and get their employees and, more importantly, their *customers* involved in defending the word.
It doesn't matter if they win. What they need to do, and what they're trying to do, is create an environment, regardless of the success of this petition, where the term becomes unpopular among their customers and their employees. Eventually, in 5 or 10 years, maybe the word will fall out of common use as a result - but the short-term benefit has nothing to do with the dictionary and everything to do with an identification that their customers will hopefully have with the "McDonald's Team". dmlaenker calls is "owning your McDonald's", which is a good phrase for it.
Frankly, they'd be more likely to win on this front by actually improving the working conditions and paying more as well as the campaign - but the campaign alone? Is much cheaper, and appeals to the Marketing types, which means it appeals to the MBAs who run the place.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 07:10 pm (UTC)Oh, sure, that's what they SAY they're trying to do, but they're really not.
They're trying to defend the word, and get their employees and, more importantly, their *customers* involved in defending the word.
It doesn't matter if they win. What they need to do, and what they're trying to do, is create an environment, regardless of the success of this petition, where the term becomes unpopular among their customers and their employees. Eventually, in 5 or 10 years, maybe the word will fall out of common use as a result - but the short-term benefit has nothing to do with the dictionary and everything to do with an identification that their customers will hopefully have with the "McDonald's Team".
Frankly, they'd be more likely to win on this front by actually improving the working conditions and paying more as well as the campaign - but the campaign alone? Is much cheaper, and appeals to the Marketing types, which means it appeals to the MBAs who run the place.