(no subject)
May. 24th, 2007 02:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theweaselkingMcDonald's petitions OED to change or remove definition of "McJob"
The Oxford English Dictionary currently describes a McJob as "an unstimulating low-paid job with few prospects".
McDonald's says this definition is now "out of date and insulting"
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Edited to add my own comment from below:
McDonald's claim is that McJob refers, inherently, to a job at McDonald's, and that a job at McDonald's is no longer unstimulating, low-paid, or with few prospects.
Their claim is that, as such, the definition of McJob should be changed to correctly reflect the reality of working at McDonald's, since it is a word that means "a job such as that you will get at McDonald's".
I can see their case from that standpoint (I don't BELIEVE them when they say their jobs are better, but I can see their case) and I can see it from a brand management standpoint.
More pointedly, McDonald's are doing this as publicity stunt and as an attempt to rebrand themselves. By getting their staff and their patrons interested in the campaign, by giving them investment in the form of making them a part of the petition, they're working to get their core audience out there and saying "but that's not true" against the existing use of the word. It's an attempt to build a "team" where "McJob" used as a derogatory manner is, frankly, a dirty word, and the members of this team will object to it.
And that's smart marketing. I find this kind of thing fascinating, to see how it will play out in practice.
The Oxford English Dictionary currently describes a McJob as "an unstimulating low-paid job with few prospects".
McDonald's says this definition is now "out of date and insulting"
=============================
Edited to add my own comment from below:
McDonald's claim is that McJob refers, inherently, to a job at McDonald's, and that a job at McDonald's is no longer unstimulating, low-paid, or with few prospects.
Their claim is that, as such, the definition of McJob should be changed to correctly reflect the reality of working at McDonald's, since it is a word that means "a job such as that you will get at McDonald's".
I can see their case from that standpoint (I don't BELIEVE them when they say their jobs are better, but I can see their case) and I can see it from a brand management standpoint.
More pointedly, McDonald's are doing this as publicity stunt and as an attempt to rebrand themselves. By getting their staff and their patrons interested in the campaign, by giving them investment in the form of making them a part of the petition, they're working to get their core audience out there and saying "but that's not true" against the existing use of the word. It's an attempt to build a "team" where "McJob" used as a derogatory manner is, frankly, a dirty word, and the members of this team will object to it.
And that's smart marketing. I find this kind of thing fascinating, to see how it will play out in practice.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 07:02 pm (UTC)I absolutely understand why McDonald's is petitioning. If OED caves, I will loose a LOT of respect for them.
And I have a McJob at McDonalds (not my first McJob, but my first fast food job) -- and it is entirely and completely "an unstimulating low-paid job with few prospects." Most of the employees use the word McJob.
(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.