Ronald McDonald Slims Down

Has Leaner, Buff Look As Chain Pushes Exercise, Healthier Foods

(CBS)  Ronald McDonald has undergone a makeover. And an advertising critic says it highlights an industry going through "schizophrenic" times.

The famous fast-food giant has a lean, buff body in a new advertising campaign pushing healthier food choices and exercise for kids.

Barbara Lippert, advertising critic of Adweek magazine, tells The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm fast food companies "are the new tobacco."

"They're coming under increasing scrutiny by government groups, by consumer groups. …Childhood obesity is a huge problem. So the skeptics could say, 'Well, this is window dressing so they can still advertise.' Other people would say, 'Well, they're great corporate citizens. They see that they've engendered a problem, that they've really created this way of eating, so now they're trying to do something good."

Lippert notes that McDonald's has changed its menu, but it's still 10 percent salads and fruits, and 90 percent everything else.

On the other hand, Burger King is out with what it dubs its "enormous omelet sandwich," with 730 calories and 47 grams of fat.

"They're trying to appeal to the core audience, which is the 19- to 24-year-old boy who can eat about seven of them a day," Lippert explains.

"It's a very schizophrenic time for fast food," Lippert observes, "because on one hand, that's where they make their money. But on the other hand, they know they have to change the menu."

Burger King now serves veggie burgers and a variety of chicken offerings, Lippert notes.

Then, there are the Carl's Jr. ads using a very provocative Paris Hilton to sell burgers.

"They're selling that bathing suit," Lippert says. "It's so terrible that we can't see it enough. You’d think that the week it came on, there was no other news in the world.

"She looks like she's been eating a 730-pound burger," Lippert added, sarcastically. "But, you know, they got so much attention for this. They have a $5 million budget. They got hundreds of millions in free publicity.

"Whereas McDonald's is the number one. They spend $600 million or something. And they're trying to say, we want to take a leadership role in having healthier food. It can't be a bad thing."

Fast-food competition is intense, Lippert stresses: "There's desperation in reaching people. There's so much competition. But McDonald's is getting out front and saying, 'Maybe we can change this behavior.' We'll have to see if it continues over a whole year and then the next year. Because, of course, it's not gonna happen very quickly."