Great write-up and clever marketing from mcdonnald's. I too believe that more honesty is better. People can relate to you more when you admit you screwed-up or made a mistake. Trying to always be perfect perhaps paradoxically detracts from your appeal and people will do their own thinking and probably conclude that you're disingenious. I think the same goes to us all as people communicating with each other, as it does to companies communicating with our customers.
Yah, I actually started formulating the idea when I was thinking about a local business owner in Vancouver - Vikram Vij. The guy is the brand. What draws people to him and his stores is his incredible authenticity. His interactions with people and his business practices are all products of his authentic self. It's really amazing to see. The guy doesn't advertise or take reservations at all and has one of the most succesfull restaurants in the city.