16917: DEI Fact-Checking Fast-Talking Fast Feeder.

 

Forbes published content that feels like corporate-sponsored performative PR, seeking to explain the scenario that should be called Mickey DEI’s.

 

National news sources—including Forbes—initially headlined Mickey D’s joined other major brands abandoning DEIBA+ heat shields.

 

This latest Forbes content, however, seemingly whitewashes the proceedings to cast the Golden Arches in a progressive light.

 

Exposing the McTruth requires answering the following questions:

 

Will non-White advertising agencies receive even fewer McCrumbs?

 

Will the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association be adversely affected?

 

Will Black & Positively Golden^® lose its luster?

 

Will Byron Allen deliver color commentary—or subpoenas?

 

McDonald’s Stands Firm Against DEI Pushback, Emphasizes Inclusion

 

By Corinne Post

 

Under growing scrutiny of corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, McDonald’s is the latest company to publicly communicate changes to its DEI strategy. While headlines often emphasize what firms are scaling back, McDonald’s statement highlights what it is choosing to retain—offering insights into which practices are likely to endure.

 

The fast-food giant announced plans earlier this week to discontinue aspirational quotas, pause participation in external surveys and remove mandatory supplier diversity pledges. Yet, its reaffirmed commitments suggest that effectively managing diversity remains a cornerstone of its long-term competitiveness strategy.

 

Here’s a closer look at how McDonald’s aims to embed inclusion into its operations and strengthen its competitive advantage—offering valuable lessons for organizations reevaluating their DEI initiatives.

 

Inclusion Converts McDonald’s Diversity Into Competitiveness

 

McDonald’s renewed focus on inclusion reflects a key finding from research: diversity alone is not enough to drive innovation or high performance—success depends on fostering inclusion. As McDonald’s explains it, “Our system leverages inclusion to operate successfully and grow our businesses” and “early and full adoption of inclusion gives us a competitive advantage.”

 

For employees to contribute their perspectives and unique resources, they must feel like integral members of the organization, with access to the resources they need and opportunities to influence work-related decisions. McDonald’s Employee Business Networks (EBNs) exemplify how the company embeds inclusion into its operations: “We also lean on employee business networks and franchisee affinity groups to help us solve business problems,” the company states.

 

This approach emphasizes that inclusion is not an isolated initiative, but a practice woven into daily operations, supporting McDonald’s commitment to “continuing to embed inclusion practices that grow our business into our everyday process and operations.”

 

McDonald’s approach underscores that fostering inclusion in all daily operations can convert diversity into a competitive advantage.

 

McDonald’s Diverse Workforce Demands Inclusive Leadership

 

McDonald’s highlights the importance of inclusive leadership as a key factor in sustaining a diverse workforce, even as it pauses external surveys. These surveys previously served to benchmark progress and foster transparency by sharing diversity outcomes externally. By discontinuing them, McDonald’s signals a shift toward internal evaluation methods, aiming to embed inclusion directly into its operations rather than focusing on external reporting.

 

Notably, firms continue to emphasize the need for executives to develop and apply inclusive leadership skills as they remove their DEI initiatives from public scrutiny.

 

Although firms face increasing pressures from anti-DEI activists, in the form of shareholder proposals and public campaigns, the fundamental challenges that have made diversity a strategic priority for corporate leaders—talent shortages, competitive pressures—remain unchanged. This explains why firms like McDonald’s see inclusive leadership as critical to navigating these challenges.

 

As firms respond to both anti-DEI pressures and market realities, McDonald’s demonstrates that leadership remains a crucial lever for embedding inclusion in ways that drive long term success in workplace diversity.

 

McDonald’s Empowers Communities To Champion Diversity

 

The fast-food chain’s approach to fostering inclusion mirrors the co-design principles used by companies like REI and Mattel, particularly in its collaboration with Employee Business Networks and franchisees. Co-design principles emphasize designing DEI projects with rather than for identity-based groups by involving them throughout the process.

 

As McDonald’s explains in their public statement: “Our system thrives when we are shaped by the communities in which we operate.”

 

Unlike superficial consultation, McDonald’s states that the EBNs are involved in business-related decision-making. As such, EBNs are more than advisory groups—they are actively sought out to address business challenges a strategy that has been highly effective at other organizations, like IBM.

 

In addition to collaborating with EBNs, McDonald’s also entrusts franchisees with spearheading local diversity initiatives, empowering them “to champion causes and participate in activities that resonate with their customers and communities in a way that’s true to our Brand’s DNA.”

 

This approach highlights the company’s belief that inclusion stems from continuous engagement with communities, learning from them, rather than only imposing solutions from the top that risk being ineffective.

 

Ultimately, McDonald’s co-design approach reflects a shift from compliance-driven diversity to community-centered inclusion.

 

Accountability, Key To McDonald’s Inclusion Gains

 

The fast-food giant emphasized accountability as core to its long term diversity strategy. McDonald’s pledged to publicly report board, employee and supplier demographics in its annual Purpose and Impact report. It also said the firm will continue to hold its leaders accountable “for fostering an inclusive environment within their teams.”

 

Accountability is one of the most reliable levers for improving workforce diversity. That is because when leaders expect their decisions to be evaluated, they are more likely to act purposefully to suppress their biases, according to researchers Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev, who have extensively studied the efficacy of diversity initiatives.

 

When leaders know that they may be asked to explain poor inclusion scores on their teams, they are more motivated to review their leadership practices. This should encourage them to develop inclusive leadership skills.

 

Similarly, publicizing workforce demographic numbers encourages scrutiny, which may motivate firms to have internal processes that promote fair and equitable hiring and promotion decisions.

 

However, diversity accountability may be limited to the demographic groups for which firms disclose numbers. McDonald’s last report provides information only on the representation of women and of five racio-ethnic groups. Notably, the firm’s most recent pledge does not mention franchisee demographics—a key feature of its last report, which may indicate a strategic decision to limit reporting in this area.

 

The Big Picture Takeaway

 

McDonald’s response to growing scrutiny shows that evolving a DEI strategy doesn’t have to mean scaling back efforts. By embedding inclusion into daily operations, prioritizing leadership accountability, and empowering employee networks and franchisees, the company demonstrates how DEI can remain a competitive asset rather than a compliance exercise. For organizations navigating similar pressures, McDonald’s approach underscores that thoughtful adaptation—rooted in transparency and collaboration—can strengthen both organizational resilience and community connections.

16894: Big Food, Big Tobacco, Big Trouble.

 

Advertising Age reported on a lawsuit charging big food companies emulate Big Tobacco; that is, packaged food corporations deliberately make addictive products promoted by marketing campaigns targeting children and minorities.

 

Not sure why the lawsuit is only attacking packaged food manufacturers versus also going after brands like Mickey D’s. After all, it could be argued McNuggets and McRibs are the equivalent of menthol cigarettes.

 

Lawsuit alleges major food makers knowingly used Big Tobacco tactics

 

The makers of Oreo, Pop-Tarts, Slim Jim and other products face a lawsuit over childhood disease

 

By Ally Marotti

 

Packaged food giants face a lawsuit alleging that they knowingly make addictive products that cause illnesses such as type 2 diabetes and target children with those products.

 

Food and beverage marketers named in the lawsuit include Coca-Cola Co., Conagra Brands, General Mills, Kellanova, Kraft Heinz, Mars, Mondelēz International, Nestlé USA, PepsiCo, Post Holdings and WK Kellogg Co.

 

Pennsylvania resident Bryce Martinez filed the lawsuit on Dec. 10 in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. The lawsuit alleges that Martinez developed type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease when he was 16 because he frequently ate the companies’ products.

 

Martinez “is one of many casualties of defendants’ predatory profiteering,” the complaint says. “(He) is now suffering from these devastating diseases, and will continue to suffer for the rest of his life.”

 

The lawsuit comes as the spotlight is turning upon the ingredients in some of the country’s most popular packaged food brands. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has broadly critiqued processed foods. He has vowed to remove them from school lunch programs and disallow them from being bought with food stamps.

 

Kennedy has specifically discussed the harms of high-fructose corn syrup and processed grains. If his nomination is approved, he will oversee a department that has partial oversight of Americans’ diet through the Food and Drug Administration.

 

The lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania earlier this month targets ultra-processed foods, which it says are “industrially produced edible substances that are imitations of food.” They contain little to no whole food, and have come to dominate the American diet since the 1980s, the lawsuit says. On average, children now derive two-thirds of their energy from ultra-processed foods.

 

The lawsuit points to the rise of type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, which “had been largely confined to elderly alcoholics,” in children. It ties the increasing prevalence of such diseases to the 1980s, when tobacco companies bought major U.S. food companies. For example, tobacco company Philip Morris bought Kraft Foods in 1988.

 

The tobacco companies then “used their cigarette playbook to fill our food environment with addictive substances that are aggressively marketed to children and minorities,” according to the lawsuit.

 

The lawsuit alleges that the companies that make ultra-processed foods are “well aware of the harms they are causing and (have) known it for decades. But they continue to inflict massive harm on society in a reckless pursuit of profits.”

 

Representatives from each company did not respond to a request for comment. The exception was Conagra: Its spokesperson declined to comment on pending litigation.

 

The Consumer Brands Association, a trade association that represents many of the country’s packaged food companies, said in a statement that such companies adhere to FDA standards and “deliver safe, affordable and convenient products that consumers depend on every day.”

 

“Americans deserve facts based on sound science in order to make the best choices for their health. There is currently no agreed upon scientific definition of ultra-processed foods,” Sarah Gallo, senior VP of Product Policy, said in a statement. “Attempting to classify foods as unhealthy simply because they are processed, or demonizing food by ignoring its full nutrient content, misleads consumers and exacerbates health disparities.”

 

At its heart, this lawsuit is a product liability case, said R. Mark McCareins, a clinical professor of business law at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

“The cost of doing business in the U.S., with our civil justice system, are suits like this,” he said. “The fact that somebody filed a lawsuit does not mean that … the companies did anything wrong, and they are more than free to defend themselves.”

 

In such cases, attorneys typically must prove causation—in this case, did the ultra-processed foods cause the diseases—and that the companies knew about the harm. Typically, expert testimony is vital.

16816: Overreaction Of The Week.

The Associated Press reported on a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to Mickey D’s Quarter Pounders—marking the second sickening event at the Golden Arches this week.

16810: Musing, Mulling, And Munching On Mickey D’s And More.

 

Muse by Clios interviewed DDB Worldwide Chairman Emeritus Keith Reinhard, who shared his thoughts on the state of creativity, challenges past and present, iconic campaigns, client-agency relationships, and more.

 

Covering his 50+ years in Adland, Reinhard also wondered “if today’s advertising industry might be well advised to embrace or re-embrace generational inclusion along with the commitment to gender and racial diversity.”

 

Not surprisingly, racial and ethnic equality received less attention than the Hamburglar—and the alleged diversity dilemma of ageism against Old White Guys and Old White Gals emerged as an imperative.

 

In Adland, You Deserve A Break Today does not apply to people of color.

 

Keith Reinhard on Creativity, Agency-Client Bonds and the Hamburglar

Looking back, and mulling what’s ahead

 

By Amy Corr

 

Keith Reinhard serves as chairman emeritus of DDB Worldwide. In a career spanning more than half a century, he has worked as a writer, art director and creative group head, and held key roles in agency management.

 

Transcending the Mad Men paradigm, Reinhard has shaped consumer tastes and stoked the engines of media and commerce on a global scale.

 

He’s father to the Hamburglar, and along with his creative team birthed McDonald’s brand-defining “You Deserve a Break Today” campaigns in the 1970s, plus the unforgettable “Two-all-beef-patties-special-sauce-lettuce-cheese-pickles-onions, on a sesame seed bun” mantra woven into copy and jingles. “Just Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm Is There” was his idea, too. Keith also worked on Volkswagen, Polaroid, Amtrak, Xerox, Mars and General Mills, to name just a few. On the business side, Reinhard helped merge Doyle Dane Bernbach and Needham Harper Worldwide into the DDB network, which he led as chairman and CEO for 16 years.

 

We spoke with Reinhard about the challenges plaguing the industry today, the importance of agency-client trust, his favorite campaigns and the return of his beloved Hamburglar.

 

Muse: What’s your take on the state of creativity today and the trust between an agency and client?

 

Keith Reinhard: I’m sure it varies from those clients who see their agencies only as interchangeable suppliers chosen for the lowest price, to clients who value their agencies as trusted partners. It was encouraging to see some examples of the latter on stage at the Clios this year. In the long term, the only clients that will value their agencies as long-term partners are clients who understand the value of long-term brand building. I doubt that such clients represent the majority of advertisers today. In part, that’s because we have failed to make a convincing case for the value of building brand loyalty over time, which has always been a brand’s best defense against price competition.

 

As for the state of creativity in general, the fragmentation of media channels makes it difficult to establish and maintain brand integrity and instead, encourages one-off messages hastily prepared on a low budget, subjected to instant A/B testing, and placed by algorithms as interrupters on every available social media channel. While that seems like a condition more conducive to mindless repetition of breathless product claims than to brand building, there are notable exceptions. One of my favorites is DDB’s award winning apology campaign for Skittles—a prime example of contemporary creativity at its best. The brilliant multi-channel idea is absolutely on-brand and true to Skittles idiosyncratic personality. During a “press conference” on Twitch and TikTok, a Skittles “communications director” apologizes individually to thousands of protesters for replacing the lime-flavored green Skittles with a green apple flavor thirteen years ago. He promises to restore the lime flavor, at least for a while. The social media campaign was augmented by other media including a huge sign in Times Square where Skittles apologized to individual tweets.

 

I’ve also been impressed by Sakara Life, the plant-based food delivery service founded by two young women in 2011 that is now a $150 million powerhouse. They’ve given their brand a clear purpose with a distinctive brand personality that connects with viewers with advice like “make love, not dinner.”

 

I believe the level of creativity will rise in the future as young creators and their clients begin to realize the difference between a click and an emotional connection, the difference between creating a buzz and creating a brand, the difference between a one-off stunt and an enduring brand story and the big difference between big data and a big idea.

 

As for the state of creativity in television, I didn’t see any Super Bowl commercials I wished I had done. But then again, I’m not the target audience. At least the Rabbit Hole commercial for Tubi used storytelling to get my attention, built suspense and then paid off with a promise of free movies. All without borrowing interest from a celebrity. That in itself was refreshing.

 

What were some agency/client trust/bonds you experienced in your career?

 

When Tom Morrill, State Farm’s chief marketing officer in the ’60s and ’70s, was asked if he’d ever consider a new agency, he said he would not. Instead, he said if he needed fresh thinking, he would ask us for new ideas or even new people. But he had no interest in going through a search process or acclimating a new agency to the insurance business that we, his trusted longtime agency partner, knew so well. Tom’s confidence in us laid the groundwork for a relationship that lasted for more than 60 years.

 

To shake things up in the Washington-Baltimore market, Fred Turner, CEO of McDonald’s, once granted us the freedom to try any new idea we wanted if we stayed within the budget and didn’t do anything illegal. Turner startled us by saying, “Don’t bother to show me storyboards. I trust you. Just show me the finished work.” This level of trust motivated us to work even harder to deliver a remarkable product, which we did. Fred liked it and ran it with success.

 

A strong bond of trust with Anheuser-Busch figured importantly in that great client supporting the offbeat, off brand “Wassup” campaign for Budweiser, which August Busch IV said brought more value to the brand than any other single idea in the brewery’s history. It won the Grand Prix in Cannes in 2000.

 

What’s the biggest challenge facing the industry today and how can it be overcome?

 

It might be the lack of time. The time to think, time to shape an idea and let it grow, time to let it work in the marketplace, time to work together, time to care, time to rest and reflect. I have no idea how to overcome our obsession with speed.

 

What was the biggest challenge you faced in your career?

 

By far the biggest challenge I faced was merging two creative agency networks into one in the mid-eighties. I was CEO of Needham Harper Worldwide but my idol was Bill Bernbach, who had revolutionized the industry when he founded Doyle Dane Bernbach in 1949. After Bill died in 1982, my dream was to combine his agency with Needham to establish a new global creative force built on Bill’s legacy. As part of the creation of Omnicom, we found a way to do this but as an observer wrote in the New York Times after our announcement, “Mergers are hell!” I understood what he meant as we started to put the agencies together. Turf battles had to be resolved in major markets, client conflicts had to be dealt with and differing systems had to be integrated. But thanks to the resolve of a top management team that shared a vision, we were able to create a common culture grounded in a shared belief that creativity is the most powerful force in business.

 

What’s something that exists now that you wish existed earlier in your career or you’re happy it didn’t exist earlier on?

 

Google could have helped us earlier. Back then, finding answers to questions took a lot more time.

 

On the other hand, I’m glad we didn’t have the science and technology that today claims to instantly determine an ad’s effectiveness. As Bill Bernbach said: “However much we would like advertising to be a science, the fact is that it is not. It is a subtle, ever-changing art, defying formularization, flowering on freshness and withering on imitation.” Today’s instant A/B testing makes it impossible for a good campaign to “wear in” and would almost certainly have killed Volkswagen’s game changing “Think Small” campaign which, when launched, was met by skepticism from both consumers and dealers.

 

What were some of your favorite campaigns to work on?

 

There are so many—Volkswagen, Polaroid, Amtrak, Xerox, Mars, General Mills. But I’ll highlight three.

 

McDonald’s was a great client. They understood the value of making emotional connections with their customers. In 1971, we created their first national advertising campaign by focusing on the McDonald’s experience instead of just their hamburgers. Our kick-off campaign, “You Deserve a Break Today,” encouraged people to take a little respite from their daily routines and enjoy the food, folks, and fun at McDonald’s. We followed the initial campaign with another customer focused effort, “You, you’re the one,” which also made it into the Madison Avenue Songbook. The Big Mac jingle, “Two all-beef-patties-special-sauce-lettuce- cheese-pickles-onions-on-a-sesame-seed bun,” created by my team in the ’70s, is still remembered today. While I personally gave birth to the Hamburglar, working with the team to create McDonaldland, home of the Grimace and all the other characters, was truly a blast.

 

I also loved working on all the Anheuser-Busch brands starting with “Head for the Mountains” for Busch Beer and then all the work we did for Bud Light and Budweiser. As with McDonald’s, great advertising is only possible when you have great clients. Anheuser-Busch was one of the best. They proved that big time when they bought and supported the aforementioned “Wassup” campaign for Budweiser, a campaign that went viral before we knew what viral even meant and won the Gran Prix at Cannes in 2000.

 

State Farm was one of my favorites. In the ’70s, new research pointed out that State Farm’s most important competitive advantage was the fact that their agents had their offices in neighborhoods where people lived, in contrast to competitor companies who often housed their agents in big buildings in a business district. This insight led to our creating a long running campaign, “Just Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There.” We contracted Barry Manilow to write the tune to which we wrote three verses—one for car insurance, one for home insurance and another for life insurance. The jingle is no longer used but I’m pleased that “Jake from State Farm” is still using our tag line.

 

As the person behind the Hamburglar, are you excited to see his resurrection in ad campaigns?

 

As the father of the little burger bandit, I’m pleased to see he’s up to his old tricks and still getting by with a limited vocabulary. Robble.

 

What “Mad Men” experience can you share with us?

 

Things were different back then. In the early ’70s, I was head of the creative department at the Needham agency in Chicago, and I noticed that a young woman had joined us as a trainee in the account executive department. I wasn’t directly involved in her accounts, so I had never met her. But I remember thinking it was good that we were finally going to see at least one woman become an account executive. Then one night when I was working late, this young woman burst into my office and breathlessly asked if she could hide under my desk!  I said “Uh, yeah, I guess so, but why are you hiding?” She named a figure in agency management and said, “I think he’s been drinking, and he’s chasing me down the halls!” This promising young trainee hung out in my office until we could assure her that the halls were clear. She then went on to become the agency’s youngest senior vice president, heading up accounts like General Mills and McDonald’s. A few years later, the amazing Rose-Lee Simons, became my amazing wife.

 

Anything else you’d like to discuss?

 

In a recent meeting, Vincent Gardner, composer and lead trombonist for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, was asked by a young musician how to become great. Gardner advised the young man to “seek out the oldest person you can find who’s doing what you want to do. Tapping into that person’s experience will be the very best way you can become great.”

 

Gardner’s counsel made me wonder if today’s advertising industry might be well advised to embrace or re-embrace generational inclusion along with the commitment to gender and racial diversity. As a young copywriter, I learned a lot from mentors who were in their forties and fifties. Yet, as of a few years ago, an IPA Excellence paper stated that staffers over the age of 50 represent only 6 percent of ad land’s workforce. By comparison, 22 percent of professionals in finance were over 50 and a Writer’s Guild survey showed 50 to be the median age of Hollywood screenwriters. When last I checked, consultants range in age from 40 to 60 which may be why they have the kind of access to clients’ C-suites that is often denied to ad agencies. Does it matter that today’s advertising industry, unlike other professions, undervalues experience? I think it might.

16809: There’s A New Clown In Town.

Former President Donald Trump reportedly plans to visit a Mickey D’s in Philadelphia and work the “fry cooker” as a campaign stunt. Well, it’s not the first time Trump has displayed enthusiasm for the Golden Arches—although he hasn’t shown a QSR preference before.

 

16606: Mickey D’s Campaign Lacking Teeth.

The TBWA\Buenos Aires creative team responsible for this Mickey D’s campaign should be kicked in the teeth.

 

16602: Happy Meals, Unhappy Environmentalists.

In times where ESG has become a business imperative, TBWA\Buenos Aires thinks it’s cool to create a Mickey D’s commercial that dramatizes the paper-wasting mass production of Happy Meals boxes…? A single recycled symbol cameo in the 1.5-minute video is hardly promoting corporate responsibility. Gotta believe Greenpeace will not smile over this spot.

16541: BHM 2024—Mickey D’s.

 

For BHM 2024, Mickey D’s Black & Positively Golden^® presents a minority scholarship and gospel music tour—once again providing evidence supporting Byron Allen’s $10 billion lawsuit that charges the fast feeder delivers discriminatory crumbs to Black media, businesses, and communities.

16536: BHM 2024—Byron Allen & Mickey D’s.

Okay, this is definitely not a BHM moment: MediaPost reported Byron Allen lost his $100 million lawsuit against Mickey D’s.

 

Allen’s separate $10 billion lawsuit against the Golden Arches is still pending, so the latest dismissal might just be a McBump in the road. Plus, it’s a safe bet that Allen will appeal the ruling.

 

But it sure feels like bad timing to announce the news during Black History Month—and don’t expect any mention of the event at Black & Positively Golden^®.

 

Byron Allen Loses $100M Lawsuit Against McDonald's

 

By Tanya Gazdik

 

Suing giant corporations can be fraught.

 

While the companies have deep pockets for potential judgments, they also can use those same resources to “lawyer up” to the umpteenth degree.

 

Case in point: Byron Allen and the Allen Media Group (which includes Entertainment Studios Networks and The Weather Channel) has lost a $100 million fraud lawsuit against McDonald’s.

 

The lawsuit accused the fast food giant of not following through on a pledge to dramatically increase national ad spending with Black-owned media outlets.

 

“Facing discrimination claims, the home of the Big Mac in May 2021 unveiled a self-described four-year plan to pump up its national media spending with said Black-owned companies from 2% to 5%,” according to Deadline.

 

The suit hinged on a specific interpretation of claims McDonald’s made in a press release outlining its pledges to increase its spending with Black-owned businesses overall, according to Variety.

 

McDonald’s argued that the lawsuit violated California’s “anti-SLAPP” statute, a 20-year-old regulation that allows defendants to ask a judge to dismiss a case that lacks merit and is tied to free speech, according to Restaurant Business.

 

The California state court judge dismissed the case, “finding that McDonald’s will likely win the case if it’s allowed to proceed, since the company still has more time to live up to its vow,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

 

Allen, the publicized bidder for Paramount Global, is not without “deep pockets” himself.

 

Louis Miller, a lawyer representing Allen Media Group, said the ruling will be appealed. He said that California law bars “companies from making false statements to the public.”

 

It’s not the only lawsuit the Allen Media Group has initiated.

 

“Allen Media Group has a separate $10 billion lawsuit pending against McDonald’s in federal court, alleging that it discriminates through racial stereotyping in its advertising practices, violating civil rights laws,” according to Variety.

 

McDonald’s issued a triumphant statement after the court win, per Deadline. The company’s interpretation of the judgment is that McDonald’s will be unable to appeal.

 

“The court’s decision serves as confirmation of what we’ve said all along: this was just another frivolous lawsuit brought by Byron Allen as part of his smear campaign against McDonald’s,” according to a statement by the company.

 

“The court dealt Mr. Allen a crushing blow by dismissing this case for good, ruling that he failed to show that his claims had even ‘minimal merit,’ and the loss requires Mr. Allen to pay McDonald’s legal fees,” per the statement. “McDonald’s long ago made clear that we would not allow Mr. Allen to perpetuate false narratives at our expense or succumb to his extortionist tactics. Moving forward, we will continue to collaborate with diverse-owned partners and remain committed to advancing inclusion and diversity efforts.”

 

Allen has made similar claims against General Motors over its media spending practices, but has not filed any legal action.

 

“Meanwhile, one major company has garnered Allen’s praise,” according to MediaPost. The Allen Media Group and Verizon partnered to host a Black-owned media summit.