Do McDonald’s Golden Arches Symbolize a Mother’s Breasts?
"The July 1995 issue of Reader's Digest appeared to be one of the sources of the information. While the issue wasn't available online for further reading, we found a story that cited the magazine in a Tennessee daily newspaper, The Jackson Sun. On July 24, 1995, the newspaper reported:
Louis Cheskin, a specialist in the psychology of marketing who began his research in the 1930s [...] worked with McDonald's when it was about to abandon the arches as the architectural elements of its outlets. His research showed that the arches were great assets because they had "Freudian implications in the subconscious mind." Exactly what was meant by this was uncertain, but Davis Masten, who runs the company that Cheskin started, recalls that Cheskin also referred to the arches as "Mother McDonald's breasts" - a powerful association if you're replacing home cooking. Robert and Margaret Sneed, of Texas, were getting in their car at the McDonald's on Highland after lunch Saturday. They were en route to South Carolina through the Smokies. Asked if that was the association they had with the yellow arches of McDonald's, the retired couple laughed. "I believe that my only thought was a cup of coffee, fries, and a Big Mac," Robert Sneed said. "But I guess this is some kind of subliminal thing where we're presumably thinking this but not supposed to know we're thinking this, is that it?" "I think of an arch as being an entryway," Margaret offered. "I think of it more as being an entry to a restaurant, but then, I never was very imaginative."
The newspaper also printed that "market research showed many people subconsciously connected" McDonald's golden arches "to mother and home cooking."
Related:
McDonald's Breast Burgers
Also related:
Adult Cream Pie coming to McDonald’s Japan
"“Otona” is a word often used in the Japanese sweets industry to describe confectionery that has less sweetness than regular brands, evoking a sense of high-quality, refined flavour.
However, the combination of the word “adult” and “cream pie” brings up a whole other imagery entirely for English speakers, which has people questioning whether or not the team consulted with any English-language speakers before deciding on the new name.
The accompanying commercial for the new product also displays some subtext that allows for reading-in-between-the-lines.
The ad above features a young woman (played by Sairi Ito) and an older woman (played by The Grudge‘s Yoko Maki), who’s referred to as both “sensei” (“teacher”) and “senpai” (“senior“). The younger woman can be seen asking her sensei: “That cream pie, is it really that delicious?” which prompts the sensei to turn and hold the younger woman’s face in both hands, saying earnestly, “If you eat it once, you’ll be filled.”...
[it] comes in the following two flavours: Belgian Chocola, Sweet Fromage."
