Will McDonald's Kid Nutrition Promo Change the Game?

Remember when Walmart's green strategy gave a massive boost to the green movement because of its influence and buying muscle? McDonald's may have the power to do the same with the issue of children's healthy eating.

Along with changes to its Happy Meals--such as downsizing the fries and including apple slices--McDonald's is using its Smurfs movie tie-in to encourage kids to "smurf the earth" by actually eating the apple slices.

To sweeten the deal, each Happy Meal (complete with Smurf toy) contains a digital code for buyers to enter on a special McD's/Smurf site. For each code entered, McD's and its partner, Keep America Beautiful, will plant a tree.

If enough families get involved, and if McDonald's continues the nutrition promo, the Smurfs may turn out to be the marketing heroes that nutrition advocates have hoped would encourage healthier eating. So far--after one weekend--the movie is appealing to families and, if box-office trends continue, its popularity is only going to help McD's do its job.