McDonald's celebrates McWorkers in career-boosting TV ad drive

LONDON - McDonald's has debuted its 'My first job' TV ad campaign, which features the likes of Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis and singer Macy Gray telling how working at the fast-food giant gave them their start.

The ad features talented former staff members, famous and not so famous, from around the world who started their careers at McDonald's, with representation from Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, UK and the US.

The company has been looking at focusing on the opportunities of the company following its 50th anniversary in April, after it was outlined as a top priority by McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner.

Skinner started his career at McDonald's as a "crew member" and of McDonald's top 50 members of its worldwide management team, 20 started life behind the burger counter, working in their local restaurants. 

Former McWorker Macy Gray said there was so much more to working at McDonald's than people know.

"The action, the fun, the people, the sense of accomplishment -- it truly was my first big break," the singer said.

According to 10-time Olympic track and field gold medallist Lewis, being a McWorker helped lay the foundation for his career.

"It was the place where I learned the true meaning of excelling in a fast-paced environment and what it means to operate as part of a team," he said.

The ad, created by Leo Burnett, was premiered during McDonald's Global Human Resources Conference, which was held in Chicago this week and attended by 200 McDonald's HR professionals from 48 countries.

Others included in the ad are: Derek Parra, US, professional speed skater; Andreas Baesler, Germany, opera director; Suguru Otake, Japan, professional artist; Alison Bray, Australia, airline pilot; Tereza Hlavacov, Prague, current McDonald's crew member; and Darris Bolden, Amsterdam, DJ.

Larry Light, McDonald's executive vice-president and global chief marketing officer, said: "This campaign is intended to inspire our employees, attract new ones and show our customers that if you begin your career at McDonald's, the sky is the limit."

Approximately 70% of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local businessmen and women.

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