Bob Dorfman, the executive creative director at Baker Street Advertising, told Bloomberg News, "He kind of represents the old McDonald's, with the high-fat content foods that are kind of falling out of favor. It's clear that McDonald's is advertising coffee, they're not advertising burgers."
"They're just headed in a different direction," Jack Russo, an analyst at Edward Jones & Co., told the news service. "A lot of people have grown tired of fries and burgers."
The new McDonald's sells fruit smoothies, caramel mocha and other coffee drinks in restaurants with free WiFi and comfortable, padded seats, not the hard, yellow versions associated with the old Mickey D's.
"They're trying to get a Starbucks feel," Joel Cohen, president of the Cohen Restaurant Marketing Group, told Bloomberg. "You'll see the greens and the browns, those nice earthy tones."
While McDonald's has reduced the role of Ronald, rival Burger King continues to put its "King" character front and center. Part of that, according to experts, is that Burger King's "creepy" mascot is presented to appeal to adults and not kids.
Jim Hardison, the creative director at Character LLC, told Bloomberg, "They embrace that creepiness on purpose ... their character couldn't be confused with a children's icon."