Bob Unruh huffed in a Feb. 26 WorldNetDaily article:
McDonald’s, the international fast-food corporate giant, is submitting to Islam during this year’s Ramadan, a month Muslims believe is holy.
A commentary at PJMedia pointed out the company has decided to remove “food images” from outdoor electronic advertising signs in Germany during daylight hours.
It’s because during Ramadan, Muslims fast, and object to other people eating food, or even seeing images of food.
The Islamist population in Germany is only about 5.5%, but that is enough to make corporations change operations, apparently.
In fact, the “Digital Out-of-Home” ad campaign has been praised for its cultural sensitivity. As one outlet observed:
The “Happy Ramadan” initiative relies on live, sun-synced data and local prayer times to transform the creative in real-time. As the sun sets and the fast is concluded, the empty packaging on the DOOH screens “fills up,” revealing the food at the exact moment the community prepares for Iftar. This programmatic synchronization ensures that the brand’s most recognizable products only appear when it is most relevant to the consumer’s schedule, effectively aligning the brand with the evening meal.
By leveraging this empty-to-full visual narrative, McDonald’s Germany has developed a technology-led gesture of empathy. The campaign demonstrates a sophisticated use of data-driven DOOH, using the power of digital screens to align brand messaging with religious observance. The strategy ensures that the golden arches act as a respectful companion to the local community, utilizing the sky as a trigger to transition from a minimalist display to a full product reveal.
Meanwhile, Unruh was busy turning his article into an anti-Muslim screed:
The report explained it was only two years earlier when Radio Genoa had documented the inordinate narcissism on the part of Muslims in Germany, actions that included blocking traffic to pray on a street, and broadcasting religious calls onto public streets, a move that recently was adopted in New York City under Muslim mayor Zohran Mamdani.
In Muslim majority countries, McDonald’s also adjusts its menu to provide for “halal” food, that is food acceptable to Muslims.
Unruh fails to explain why catering menus to local populations is a bad thing.