Another Source of McLeaks

I've never understood why companies allow their advertising people to network with 
other advertising people and even with people from their competitors. 

This week in Chicago The National Restaurant Association is conducting their annual restaurant show. Are McDonald's operations executives wandering the exhibit floor and meeting with competitors or serving on panels discussing McDonald's best practices? 
I doubt it.

Yet, McDonald's advertising and PR people are constantly appearing at seminars, giving speeches at advertising industry events, and networking with a broad spectrum of other advertising folks. 

Why is McDonald's Corp. paying them the big bucks to take time out from their jobs to promote themselves?

But, it works. Former McDonald's ad execs Mary Dillon and Deborah Wahl wandered the 
land giving speeches while on McDonald's payroll and networked themselves into great 
jobs with other companies.

It's pretty hard to participate in such events without leaking things that should not be in 
the public domain.

A recent example - McDonald's senior VP of communications and PR recently participated 
in a meeting put on by AdAge magazine. Why was he there? Why wasn't he hard at work 
in Oak Brook or attending Co-Op meetings? I'm sure it was good for his ego but how did
his attendance at this conference benefit the McDonald's system? Maybe his attendance 
did harm to McDonald's.

If McDonald's Corp. wants to build market share they should keep their folk's noses to the grindstone and make them do some actual work instead of networking at meetings in search 
of their next job.

Please read this article and ask "why".

McDonald's PR chief on how to respond to negative news
.