The $200 million that McDonald's will spend to promote the Arch Deluxe in commercials, print advertisements and billboards represents more than 40 percent of the $490.5 million it spent on all advertising in 1995.

Lagging revenue growth for McDonald's, as well as inroads made by competitors like Burger King, Taco Bell and Wendy's, have pressed the purveyor of Chicken McNuggets and Egg McMuffins into gambling that its more than 12,500 restaurants in North America can sell food appealing to both younger and older consumers. McDonald's needs to win back diners who have outgrown Ronald McDonald and disdain Quarter Pounders and hot apple pies as greasy kid's stuff.

"It's fair to say we have a formidable task to get people as excited as we want them to be," said Brad A. Ball, senior vice president for United States marketing, who joined McDonald's in November from Davis, Ball & Colombatto, a Los Angeles agency that works for McDonald's.

"If this just seems business as usual," he added, "we can't expect business to be any better."

That explains the hyperbolic event at Radio City, which also included live satellite linkups, projected on a video screen, with Los Angeles and Toronto; a presentation by Andrew Selvaggio, McDonald's executive chef; a dozen Rockettes who performed a tribute to the Arch Deluxe, and a Ronald McDonald in a tuxedo.

Ronald -- the clown mascot who has come to symbolize McDonald's dominance of the children's market -- kicked off the marketing blitz, which will last through the summer. A week's worth of teaser commercials, carrying the theme "Looks like McDonald's is becoming a little more grown up," presented him in uncharacteristically adult pursuits like golfing, shooting pool and disco dancing.