A new study has revealed that McDonald's has more social media marketing activities in poorer countries compared with wealthier nations.

A group of researchers, mainly from New York University’s school of public health, published the study in the BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health Journal on Wednesday, claiming that the fast food giant is targeting children from lower-income countries.


The study analysed the posts from the Instagram accounts of Macca's from 15 countries — grouped into high-income, upper-middle-income, and lower-middle-income — over four months between September and December in 2019.

"The 15 countries observed are:
High income: USA, Australia, UK, Canada, UAE, Portugal, Panama

Upper-middle income: Romania, Lebanon, Malaysia, Brazil and South Africa

Lower-middle income: Indonesia, Egypt and India"

Additionally, all the followers, likes, comments and video views that those posts gained by April 2020 were added up and analysed, identifying a total of 849 marketing posts.

It was discovered that Macca's posted 154 per cent more content on their Instagram accounts linked to lower-income nations compared to the higher-income accounts.

The research also found that child-friendly posts were more common for the poorer countries, with around 22 per cent of the posts targeted to children from lower-income countries compared to 12 per cent for the high-income ones.

The researchers said: "By targeting certain subsets through child-targeted ads and price promotions, McDonald’s’ social media ads may exacerbate healthcare issues in the most vulnerable countries in the world."

“As social media use grows, fast-food companies’ social media ads may have unprecedented effects on dietary options, especially in lower-income countries.”

Disturbingly, posts depicting healthy habits are more likely found on Instagram accounts for the higher-income countries — including @mcdonaldsau (McDonald's Australia) — which accounted for 5 per cent of the posts, while social media accounts for low-income countries only have 2.5 per cent of the 'healthy-eating' posts.

The researchers also pointed out that posts depicting promotions — such as price promotions and free giveaways — only account for 14 per cent of the posts from high-income countries, while 40 per cent of the posts in the lower-income nations were about the promos.

“Price is a key component of a marketing mix and is often used to aid consumer purchases, particularly among lower-income communities who may use price as a decision point,” the researchers said.

It should be noted that certain limitations — such as uneven sampling, lack of information on the purchasing behaviours of samples from the countries involved, and the small number of countries observed — may have affected the results of the study, according to the researchers.

However, the researchers pointed out that discussions regarding the role of the globalisation of food and drink marketing in developing countries, where poor diet, obesity, and other related health problems are rampant, should be prioritised.

The research team said: “This study offers early but crucial insights into the impact of advertising, a relatively neglected area of research.”


A McDonald's Australia spokesperson said that the fast food chain follows the Australian advertising code with regards to marketing to children, assuring that the company is aware of its responsibility to deliver appropriate content for its audience.

“Social media is used by McDonald’s Australia to share information about our menus, great value promotions, our farmers and suppliers, our people, and the communities we’re proud to serve and support,” the spokesperson said.

“We have always encouraged McDonald’s as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.”

For our folks out there who enjoy fast food, it is okay to get yourself Macca’s as a treat from time to time, but always remember that moderation is key!