The McDonald's Marketing Strategy

It’s no secret why McDonald’s have been able to attract so many customers and get the numbers that
they do. It’s because of their unique and adaptive marketing style that allow them so reach out to their
target market and sell them efficiently. According to an article written by the Panmore Institute
(http://panmore.com/mcdonalds-marketing-mix-4ps-analysis), McDonald’s use a special marketing
mix, that varies based on the location around the world. Due to their innovative strategies, their
consumers (the stakeholders) are thus content, allowing for a bigger and brighter future for the
company. The only issue for McDonald’s at the moment is: How do they continue building on their
success while motivating others to do the same?
The article by the Panmore Institute shares the strategies used by McDonald’s, as well as what sets
them apart from the competition, and what the competition can learn from the corporation, such as
constantly expanding the product and marketing mix. Currently, the main product mix is made up off:
  1. Hamburgers and sandwiches
  2. Chicken and fish
  3. Salads
  4. Snacks and sides
  5. Beverages
  6. Desserts and shakes
  7. Breakfast/All-day breakfast
  8. McCafé



Image result for mcdonalds products
The large array of products (source: Wordpress)


Their current strategy is to constantly expand and upgrade this menu in order to generate more customers, as well as increase the company’s brand. The strategy also includes having a target market of all ages. For kids, the Happpy Meal provides tasty foods for kids, as well as nutritional snacks such as apples or yogurts. The meal also comes with a toy, a reason why it is so popularMcDonald’s often puts most of the marketing budget into  telemarketing for Happy Meals with the slogan I’m Lovin It.


Image result
The McDonald's Happy Meal
Another strategy incorporated by McDonald’s is their branding. Many fast food companies, such as McDonald’s use bold red and yellow colours in their logo. According to kalenhaller.co.uk, colours stimulate certain emotions in the brain. Bright red stimulates hunger, appetite and gathers a lot of attention. Yellow triggers feelings of happiness and friendliness. Together, the two colours make a brand that is very consumer friendly.  McDonald’s keeps their millions of customers happy everyday. Sometimes, this happiness is quite difficult to find in large corporations. This is what McDonald’s markets to its potential customers: long-term happiness. In my opinion, if McDonald’s keeps innovating, strategizing and marketing like this, success is definitely predictable in the future.

 Sources:
Meyer, Pauline. “McDonald's Marketing Mix (4Ps) Analysis.” Panmore Institute, 5 Feb. 2017, panmore.com/mcdonalds-marketing-mix-4ps-analysis.

 Branding - why red & yellow is used by the fast food industry. 21 Aug. 2013, karenhaller.co.uk/blog/branding-why-red-yellow-is-used-by-the-fast-food-industry/.

 Images

 HAPPY MEAL®. www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/full-menu/happy-meal.html

 “Shannon Smith blog.” Shannon Smith blog, ssmith86blog.wordpress.com/.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The New McCafé

Image
McDonald's, one of the biggest restaurant chains in the world, has been controlling the restaurant scene since the 1940’s. Everyday, they serve millions of burgers, drinks and fries. How do they do it? What brings in millions of customers to their front doors everyday? Its by their innovative ideas and new products, which has made them where they are today. Ever since Ray Kroc established the first McDonald's, the chain has had the fast-food mentality ever since. Recently, according to the following article made by Business Insider, http://www.businessinsider.com/mccafe-new-gourmet-coffee-mcdonalds-2017-9, McDonald's has released new coffee beverages along with a revamped McCafé design. The new sleek design was implemented as a strategy to boost sales over its competitors and improve the overall image of the product. The old vs new McCafé design (source: Business Insider) As it is a restaurant chain, McDonald's is in the private sector. The company is owned
Read more

McDonald's Name Change in China.

Image
McDonald’s, a company that has been running since the 1940's, is going to be changing its name in China due to the consumer wishes’, as well as a strategy to increase sales. Previously, the corporation was called Maidanglao , a mandarin rendition of the company's name, into the now Jingongmen , or Golden Arches (Shane, 2017). Although the company stated that the branding will remain the same through a spokeswoman, and that it is just the registered business name that will be changes, there are still questions to be answered as to how will this change affect the stakeholders of the company as well as the corporation itself.   McDonald's in China (source: eater.com) This is not the first time that a major company has changed their name, and it has lead to either catastrophy or success. In 2011, the Coca Cola company changed their name to Ke kou ke le , which translated to “tasty and fun”. Additionally, Google also officially changed their company name to Gu ge, o
Read more