To have that McDonald's Happy Meal is every child's longing. Added to the mouth watering yummy 'junk', one also earns that cute looking toy as an incentive.

All of us have wished sometime or the other that Happy Meals become everlasting Happy Meals in breakfast, lunch and dinner. Besides the kids, even youngsters, mostly on shoe-string budgets find McDonalds to be the most viable easy option when the cravings arise.

Coming to the advertising aspect of McDonalds, the Happy Meal is actually its most subtle yet powerful marketing tool. Data shows that fast food giant makes a sizeable 10% of all its sales through the Happy Meal.

However there are some common enemies to the McDonald's success story, who wish that the food chain die its death and for reasons aplenty.

Back this week, a Brazilian consumer protection agency- Procon, fined McDonald's for $1.6 million for running mis-directed advertising campaigns via the Happy Meal that likely affects children. For a company that spends $2 billion per annum on its advertising campaigns, it is surely a small pinch in the back.

Coming to the other popular enemies that McDonald's apparently has are as below :

I. Health Activists

Vociferous health activists claim that McDonalds is the prime cause for obesity in kids. While the childhood obesity rates have doubled, that among adolescents has shot up thrice, in the past 30 years. Why we quoted the three decade figure is precisely because McDonald's itself is 34 years old. According to a Yale research, on a average nearly 1000 fast food ads are seen annually by preschool kids alone.

II. Lawyers

Michael Jacobson, the Executive Director at CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) also believes in the 'exploitative' advertising by McDonald's, affecting children. In a famous lawsuit, the Center helped a mother of two file a anti-Happy Meal case. While European market is said to be more sensitive to such class action suits, the U.S does not seem to let go off its fast food culture yet. Jacobson also quotes that "McDonald's strategy "will seem as inappropriate and anachronistic as lead paint, child labor, and asbestos."

III. California

Californians are slowly waking upto the reality of health and the advertising aspect of the joints. In fact, it is the only American State to have banned the Happy Meal and free toys in its meals. Back in 2011, McDonald's failed the Health Food Incentive Ordinace test. However, deploying a slightly different marketing tactic, the fast food giant ran the 10 cents scheme for a free toy that was promised to go for the Ronald McDonald House Charity. The cause was enticing while McDonald's continued marketing the Happy Meal.

Santa Clara County supervisor says that the Ordinance "prevents restaurants from preying on children's love of toys" to sell fast food, and that it breaks the link between unhealthy food and prizes."

IV. Chile & Malayasia

Both Chile and Malayasia have banned such marketing campaigns by fast food chains. According to a June 2012 law, "fast food restaurants, cereal brands, and popsicle makers" in Chile are debarred from handing out freebies like toys, crayons and stickers in their food packages. Malayasian government too prohibits fast food ads on children's TV networks besides limited sponsorships from fast food companies for TV ads.

The movement against their brand and advertsing campaigns keeps popping up once in a while. In recent years, the sales in the Asian and European markets has dwindled by 4% as compared to a meagre 1.1% in Europe.And it is not that the chain has remained unaffected by the uproar. While not excatly changing its menu completely, McDonalds is considering introducing healthier options like apple slices in its Happy Meals.

Danya Proud, the branded chain's spokesperson opines that "We are very proud of our Happy Meals and will vigorously defend our brand, our reputation and our food". In addition, marketing research firm- Lazard Capital also anticipates a McDonald's market value to remain steady and forward-looking.

So what do you believe - Is McDonald's indulging in a targetted advertising through its Happy Meal? Should such marketing strategies, centred on children, be banned? Leave us a reply below.

For more advertising opinions and marketing strategies, follow us on our Facebook page regularly.