How has McDonald's target audience changed over time?

Fast food restaurants often aim some of their advertising directly at the youth population.[4] McDonald's Happy Meals, which include a toy often tied in with a newly released family film, is a significant example. Ronald McDonald, a clown advertising mascot introduced in 1963 and designed to appeal to young children, is another. In addition, in 1987 McDonald's incorporated a Play Place in their restaurants to further advertise to children, making their restaurants a more appealing environment for children. Additionally, from 1996 to 2006, Disney was an exclusive partner with McDonald's, linking their products together. They announced the end of this deal in May 2006, with some reports saying that Disney was worried about childhood obesity.[5][6] Other than Disney, McDonald's has also been partnered with Nintendo since 1985, when the Nintendo Entertainment System was first introduced.[7] In 1987, McDonald's also created a Nintendo play land in their restaurants where kids could play on Nintendo consoles while waiting for their food. During 2007, McDonald's began to provide WiFi from the Nintendo consoles; giving children the ability to play wherever they were.[7] With also a target audience of children releasing these new films and incorporating toys, it uses the kids to reach out to their parents pockets because of their large investment.

McDonald's has consistently aimed their advertising directly at the youth population.

Starting in 1963, they introduced Ronald McDonald, a clown advertising mascot designed to appeal to young children. Over the years, McDonald's partnered with multiple companies that have products targeted at children, such as Nintendo and Disney.