The McTaco Fiasco: The Failed McDonalds Item That Sparked Controversy
In the late 90s, McDonalds attempted to bring out a new breakfast item with the McTaco. The company had high hopes for this new menu item, and even rolled out a new ad campaign with a character named Ronaldo McDonaldo, who was portrayed as Ronald's cousin from Mexico. The advertisements promised a taste of authentic Mexican breakfast and even offered a collector's cup with a mustache and sombrero.
However, the McTaco failed to gain national release and was only available in test markets. This was due to the negative attention that Ronaldo McDonaldo drew for its portrayal of Hispanic people. Many people felt that the character was stereotypical and offensive, and the controversy surrounding it was enough to keep the McTaco from being rolled out nationwide.
One of the ads depicted Ronaldo McDonaldo as the bringer of an "authentic" Mexican breakfast, with the tagline "Say Hola to Breakfast!" The ad promised a tasty breakfast of creamy scrambled eggs, spicy chorizo sausage, and melted queso sauce, topped off with a signature mustache and sombrero cup.
Another ad showed Ronaldo McDonaldo saying "Arriba! Ronaldo McDonaldo here (Ronald's cousin) and I've just come back from Mexico with something new for all you niños and niñas!" He boasted about his new McTacos and even offered a collector's cup for only $1.99.
There were even plans to roll out a breakfast happy meal with the McTaco, as well as a happy meal toy mustache. However, these plans fell through when the nationwide rollout didn't occur.
The McTaco was a failed attempt by McDonalds to bring out a new breakfast item. The ad campaign featuring Ronaldo McDonaldo sparked controversy for its portrayal of Hispanic people and the McTaco was only available in test markets. The McTaco remains a cautionary tale for companies who want to market new items to diverse groups of people.