Whether you are a fan of football or not, it is hard to escape the hype of the Super Bowl. This year was no exception. The game is over, but there is still plenty of buzz left.

People have been talking all week about the close ending, the dancing sharks and, of course, the commercials. However, one of the most surprising things I noticed is how much negative feedback McDonald’s is receiving from their “Pay with Lovin’” promotion.

For anyone who hasn’t heard, this new promotion allows customers to receive free meals, but they have to do a kind act in return. These range from calling your mother and telling her you love her to giving your family a hug. Some are also a little goofy, such as a request for you to dance.

All in all I thought this was a pretty neat promotion and a very cool commercial. But not all people agree.

Many have been bashing it as offensive. Some claim it makes customers feel uncomfortable, others claim it is an invasion of privacy. A few even claim it is rude because not everyone has a family to hug or a mother to call.

This all seems extremely cynical to me.

Sure, some of the customers in the commercial seemed apprehensive at first, but can you blame them? Who wouldn’t be a little taken aback? The important thing is how all the clips ended.

Everyone involved was smiling or laughing at the end of the experience, and it seems ridiculous that it would upset people. Also, many other customers started cheering and clapping when they noticed what was going on. To me, it seems like everyone involved had a memorable experience.

I’ll be the first to admit I’d be shy if asked to dance in a McDonald’s, but at the same time it’d give me a laugh. Fast food chains are so impersonal; why not add a little fun to the experience?

It seems like a pretty simplistic and pure cause. Why it is being warped is beyond me.

This isn’t an attack to isolate or embarrass people. In fact, if I had to compare this promotion to anything it would be akin to “paying it forward.”

For McDonald’s, it is just in the opposite order. Instead of a stranger making your day better and you passing it on, you are making someone else’s day a little brighter and you get to save a few bucks. It’s a win-win situation.

Whether you like McDonald’s or not, they have made a promotion that is enhancing people’s day and their experience. Quite frankly, more businesses should run promotions similar to this.

All these seemingly small acts start to add up and make communities a better place. At the very least McDonald’s got us talking, and that’s the first step toward progress. That is something that should be encouraged.

There will always be naysayers, but I think this attitude should be kept up, because I’m lovin’ it.