It is bad enough that companies control the resources people need, and that they force us to look at their idiotic advertising in order to keep their 'brand image' in our minds, but these days they go further than that.
As the reality of their business practices and their mass-produced products come under ever greater public scrutiny, companies feel they have to put out more sophisticated and insidious propaganda. They hope to justify their existence, to counter criticism, to ingratiate themselves with local communities and to target sections of the population who they want to buy their products. And what better way to do this than to be seen to be 'helping' the community, doing 'charitable' good works and so on.
McDonald's call it 'giving something back to the community' (a clear admission that they are ripping us off), but it is just another cynical PR excercise to be evaluated at the end of the day by its success in boosting Corporate profits.
Hence, as revealed in secret company documents, McDonald's 'target' their highly selective sponsorship on key local and national events, activities and organisations. The aim is solely to get their name or logo as prominent as possible on programmes, leaflets and lists of credits, and to get regular publicity in local and national media.
Countering criticism
Taking advantage of people's lack of resources
Ingratiating themselves
Hard fought-for rights to free and humanitarian education and to a free health service are being eroded by governments. Companies are moving in to prey like vultures on needy and vulnerable people. But corporate sponsorship is being resisted - people everywhere are campaigning for basic social rights, demanding propaganda-free activity, and building up genuine self-help, mutual aid and solidarity in our communities.
