The Rise and Fall of McDonald's

The chain enjoyed another breakthrough when it appeared as a sponsor of the Macy's 1965 Thanksgiving Day Parade. Its ads featuring Ronald McDonald, played by a slimmer replacement for Willard Scott, where first fast food ads on network television. Another advertising decision paid off when the company agreed to buy time on a postseason pro football game billed as the AFL-NFL Championship Game. The corporation ultimately proposed a 1% annual contribution based on sales by all franchisees into a cooperative national advertising fund.