McDonald's has stopped trying to convince people its food is healthy
In a Big Mac ad, the company shows mouth-watering views of its signature burger.
McDonald's emphasizes that the Big Mac is "not Greek yogurt" and "will never be kale."
The ad is a departure from McDonald's recent strategy to convince people it is healthy.
Consumers have become increasingly wary of the brand, instead seeking out sustainably sourced and organic offerings from Chipotle and others. Sales fell 1.8% in January, and CEO Don Thompson is leaving the brand at the end of the month.
McDonald's responded to the slump by adding healthier items like an Egg White Delight breakfast sandwich and Blueberry Pomegranate smoothie to the menu.
The brand has also made a point to be more transparent about its food offerings.
In a series of videos, McDonald's goes inside its production process to show how the burgers, chicken nuggets, and french fries are made.
But former McDonald's executive Larry Light notes that the transparency strategy has largely backfired.
"Sometimes the more you know the worse it makes you feel: 19 ingredients in McDonald's fries!" Light writes in The Wall Street Journal. "These include sodium acid pyrophosphate, hydrogenated soybean oil with tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) and the delightful dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent."
The unapologetic approach has been effective for Arby's, which adopted the slogan "we've got the meats" in a series of humorous ads.
Arby's sales grew nearly 6% in 2014.
Here's the McDonald's ad.