McDonald's withdraws 'insulting' ad

The Xi'an branch of US-based fast-food giant McDonald's has withdrawn a commercial, in which a Chinese man is shown begging for a discount, as the local public found it "insulting", the state media reported on Wednesday.

In the McDonald's advertisement, a Chinese man is shown kneeling before an electronics salesman, begging for a discount. But the man's coupon has expired and the vendor turns him down. The advertisement goes on to say that people do not need to beg to take advantage of a McDonald's promotion.

According to the Huashang Daily, 80 per cent of Xi'an residents polled felt insulted by the commercial. A local woman said the commercial suggested the integrity of Chinese people was so poor they would get down on their knees to beg for a discount, the newspaper reported.

Senior director for corporate relations at McDonald's China Development Co. in Hong Kong, Marina Leung, which overseas the Chinese mainland market, said the commercial was merely trying to use humour to attract customers.

"It is meant to convey our message in an exaggerated manner. As far as I know, our advertisement has been vetted by government authorities," Leung said.

Although the Xi'an branch has already pulled out the advertisement, authorities said they would charge McDonald's with violating the mainland's advertising regulations, the newspaper said.