creepy clowns and Ronald McDonald

Recently there have been sightings of creepy clowns around the country.  I haven't heard that any of these weird early Halloweeners have actually committed any crimes but I haven't actually been paying that much attention. Until this evening, that is, when I heard that McDonald's is taking their clown Ronald out of circulation for the time being. I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand there are people like my daughter who think all clowns are creepy and never liked Ronald McDonald. On the other hand can't most people appreciate the difference between a bright clown with a big smile and big feet and a creepy clown with fangs and blood dripping down their mask.  Does McDonald's really think that pictures of Ronald in their ads will drive people away from their Big Macs and yummy fries?  Or, pardon my suspicious nature here, is this an opportunity for McDonald's to get a whole bunch of free publicity?  Noooo, that couldn't be it.