Category: name

The Power Of A Name:

A Lesson from McDonald’s #McDStories Debacle

Brent Pollard

McDonald’s ill-conceived #McDStories campaign has emerged as a classic example of a well-intended marketing strategy gone wrong in a world where hashtags have become increasingly important. In January 2012, McDonald’s launched this hashtag to highlight their food suppliers, which McDonald’s hoped would reassure customers after the damaging Sparboe Farms scandal. Unfortunately, the campaign backfired spectacularly, as Twitter users took advantage of the opportunity to share “McHorror Stories.”

This blunder highlighted the vital lesson that a corporation or individual cannot control or reserve hashtags since they are in the public domain. Due to McDonald’s public relations team’s apparent lack of awareness of this fact, current and former employees, angry clients, and pranksters hijacked the #McDStories hashtag. 

History has documented a religious occurrence that bears a resemblance to this event. The followers of Jesus Christ in Antioch, Syria, were dubbed “Christians” (Acts 11.26). Although the term may have originated as a derisive moniker, early disciples eagerly accepted it, even in mortal danger.

On the other hand, people who use the term “Christian” to describe themselves without truly adhering to its biblical meaning have usurped and degraded it over time. Despite their name, their actions and words frequently contradict New Testament teachings. This appropriation has allowed critics to mock and malign the faith, highlighting the wrongdoing committed in the name of Christianity.

Despite these challenges, the intrinsic value of “McDonald’s” and “Christianity” remains unaffected. As of this writing, a single McDonald’s share is worth a healthy $295.22, indicating the brand’s tenacity. Genuine bearers of the name “Christian,” derived from the only name offering salvation (Acts 4.12), hold immeasurable value. 

Therefore, while McDonald’s and the Christian community have seen their names hijacked and misused, the essence of these entities’ worth remains intact. An unjust focus on a few’s negative stories and actions cannot diminish the good done by many. The ultimate value of a name lies with the one who holds it, and it is vital to call out critics who misrepresent these identities.

Countless others uphold and honor a name for every person who misuses it. McDonald’s and Christianity are global organizations serving millions of people, the vast majority happy and fulfilled. However, as the uproar over #McDStories demonstrated, the loudest voices aren’t always the most representative.

In conclusion, the bearer and most people using a name determine its value. One should balance the focus on negative outliers with the positive stories that go untold. Names evoke a rich tapestry of emotions that are impossible to condense into a hashtag or be appropriated by a minority, from McDonald’s to Christianity. 

References:

  • McDonald’s #McDStories Twitter campaign backfires. Telegraph Media Group Limited 2012. Web. 13 February 2012.
  • Matz, Karin. McDonald’s dumps egg supplier after safety, cruelty concerns. 2011. Web. 13 February 2012.
  • McDonald’s Corporation MCD. Morningstar, Inc. 2023. Web. 13 July 2023.

I Had No Idea What “Pollard” Meant!

Neal Pollard

For years, I’ve told people the two things I knew about my surname—(a) It’s English and (b) it means “tree topper.” It gave me a little satisfaction to think of my solidly blue-collar roots.  Other research shows my ancestors to have been among the early inhabitants of this country, as one Robert Pollard, II, was born in Devon, England, in 1610 and died in King and Queen County, Virginia, in 1668. Anne Pollard was the first female to step foot on Boston’s shores (info from Maurice J. Pollard’s The History of the Pollard family in America, 1961). You’ll find Pollards in the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War (Asa Pollard was “the first man to fall at Bunker Hill”), and the Civil War (Pollard Genealogy, Stephen Pollard, 1902, p. 3ff, via babel.hathitrust.org). As pride swells, I drive by ancestry.com only to find earlier history.  The name is actually Irish, dating back to the 14th Century, and it was a “nickname for a person with a large or unusually shaped head.” Wow. Not that I don’t know that from trying on hats my whole life. In my case, try freakishly huge melon. I’m extra-Pollard!

So, I maintain a mixture of pride and humility as I trace my name back through history.  That is due to more than etymology.  If I look hard enough at genealogy, I’ll find some Pollards who make me proud and some that make me ashamed that we share the same last name.  Even in contemporary times with Pollards I know I’m related to, this will be the case.

Solomon wrote, “A good name is better than a good ointment” (Ecc. 7:1a).  He said, “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth” (Prov. 22:1a).  That gets more personal.  When people hear my name, they have distinct, specific thoughts about my character, my nature, and my reputation.  Over a lifetime, there have been people who have known me who may have a bad taste in their mouths when they say my name.  Occasionally, as I’ve dealt with people in customer service situations, my name might not be the sweetest on their lips.  When I think of my failure to be an example as a Christian before the world, going back to days when I was in school, my name did not always have a true association with the name of Christ.

What does your name mean? What does your name mean to the people you work with, go to school with, do business with, and live near?  What does your name mean to the people who know you best?  We wear the name of Christ, as Christians, and we must strive to honor that great name! He’s counting on us to promote His name through the way we wear our name and His name each day.