McDonald's axes Salad Plus icons

McDonald's chief marketer John Hawkes has defended the fast-food chain's latest ads, but said he would not develop the characters from the Salads Plus ads.

Although the campaign had created 'off the scale' awareness of the salad range, the characters - 'impatient Sophie', 'sensible Charlotte' and 'Joanna who's always late' - will not be used in future ads by Leo Burnett.

'They did the job that was intended by communicating the range and the element of surprise for new people coming to the restaurants. We wanted them to be different, but you can't produce an ad that's universally liked,' added Hawkes.

He insisted that new elements on the menu, including fruit packs, do not reflect a repositioning, but are about the brand keeping pace with customers' tastes.

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