March 22, 2009 187 Comments

Say What You Want

McDonalds

McDonalds is pretty darned smart. You might have your reasons for not liking them. You might feel they’re antithetical to all you hold pure and dear. It doesn’t make them any less smart.

They are master marketers. They are business efficiency professionals. They are experience managers. They are savvy business people.

Instead of worrying about instore sales growth, they acquired several other brands that you barely even think about. Instead of worrying about what we say is important to us, nutrition-wise, they provide the few nutritious things we pretend to order while serving up the food we really want when we seek rapid delivery.

Their McCafe line might not be crushing it yet, but they have a horse in the race. Parents who bring their children to McDonalds aren’t making two window stops as often now. It’s another way to sell us into something we could use, quickly, affordably, and handily.

There is a very low personalization requirement at McDonalds. When we choose to eat there, we forego the cafe-shaped world and enter into the rapid delivery world, the “known” world. We know what we’ll get when we come there.

For every time I tell you that social media and customized personalization and cafe-shaped conversations are the way to go, remember that McDonalds continues to thrive, and that McDonalds is mass marketing at its shiniest, and that they are making billions and billions without even caring a lick about what I say the future will be.

Hold the onions.

Related posts:

  1. Thinking About Branding
  2. Future Ads

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← Older Comments
  • http://tlmarketing.net Tom Lindstrom

    At the moment it seems to be a working strategy to sell something for everyone like McDonads is doing.In the online world it is quite the opposite, you must focus on a small niche to make any money.

  • http://tlmarketing.net Tom Lindstrom

    At the moment it seems to be a working strategy to sell something for everyone like McDonads is doing.In the online world it is quite the opposite, you must focus on a small niche to make any money.

  • http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing Susan Payton, The Marketing Eg

    Chris–
    I completely agree with you. I have long loathed McDonalds’ food, but with a four-year-old, I’ve inevitably found myself there far more often than I’d care to admit. And every time I find something positive to blog about.Their nutritious-ish kids’ meals. The McCafe. The updated design.

    I met the Global CMO at AMA’s conference in Orlando, and love how they’re listening to bloggers. They’re not yet embracing the social media realm, but maybe that’s where New Marketing Labs can step in??

  • http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing Susan Payton, The Marketing Eg

    Chris–
    I completely agree with you. I have long loathed McDonalds’ food, but with a four-year-old, I’ve inevitably found myself there far more often than I’d care to admit. And every time I find something positive to blog about.Their nutritious-ish kids’ meals. The McCafe. The updated design.

    I met the Global CMO at AMA’s conference in Orlando, and love how they’re listening to bloggers. They’re not yet embracing the social media realm, but maybe that’s where New Marketing Labs can step in??

  • http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing Susan Payton, The Marketing Eggspert

    Chris–
    I completely agree with you. I have long loathed McDonalds’ food, but with a four-year-old, I’ve inevitably found myself there far more often than I’d care to admit. And every time I find something positive to blog about.Their nutritious-ish kids’ meals. The McCafe. The updated design.

    I met the Global CMO at AMA’s conference in Orlando, and love how they’re listening to bloggers. They’re not yet embracing the social media realm, but maybe that’s where New Marketing Labs can step in??

  • http://www.invesp.com/blog/ Rachel Burkot

    McDonalds comes under a lot of criticism for being so unhealthy, but the sheer success of the franchise should be enough to wipe out that criticism. The fact is that people often PRETEND they care more about their nutritional needs than they actually do. The fact is, McDonalds gives us the greasy cheeseburgers and salty french fries that we crave – so they are successful.

  • http://www.invesp.com/blog/ Rachel Burkot

    McDonalds comes under a lot of criticism for being so unhealthy, but the sheer success of the franchise should be enough to wipe out that criticism. The fact is that people often PRETEND they care more about their nutritional needs than they actually do. The fact is, McDonalds gives us the greasy cheeseburgers and salty french fries that we crave – so they are successful.

  • http://www.invesp.com/blog/ Rachel Burkot

    McDonalds comes under a lot of criticism for being so unhealthy, but the sheer success of the franchise should be enough to wipe out that criticism. The fact is that people often PRETEND they care more about their nutritional needs than they actually do. The fact is, McDonalds gives us the greasy cheeseburgers and salty french fries that we crave – so they are successful.

  • http://VitaminOC.com/ Jackie Perez

    I couldn’t agree with you more Chris! McDonald’s are truly great business savy people and definetily VERY smart!

    A couple of months ago, after a visit to McDonald’s I was also moved by some of the same thoughts and was motivated in finding out more about McDonald’s history and business strategy. I was surprised to find out about the different brands that McDonalds owns and was particularly interested in their ability to be the leaders in their industry for such a long time despite the economy, wars, trends, and seasons.

    I do not know about the rest of the nation, but here in southern california, McDonald’s has begun to renovate their restaurants and are begining to provide customer service that is unexpected of a fast food chain. I went through a McDonald’s drive-through a couple of weeks ago during peak lunch hours and as I was waiting in my car , I was greeted by an employee with a tray of McNuggets and asked if I wanted to have some as I waited! wow! Also, on a different visit to the restaurant, when i finished placing my order the chasier asked me for my name to call my order, rather than just giving me a number. A simiple touch like this does make a difference in the way a customer feels & I am glad to see that McDonald’s is continuing to inovate!

  • http://VitaminOC.com/ Jackie Perez

    I couldn’t agree with you more Chris! McDonald’s are truly great business savy people and definetily VERY smart!

    A couple of months ago, after a visit to McDonald’s I was also moved by some of the same thoughts and was motivated in finding out more about McDonald’s history and business strategy. I was surprised to find out about the different brands that McDonalds owns and was particularly interested in their ability to be the leaders in their industry for such a long time despite the economy, wars, trends, and seasons.

    I do not know about the rest of the nation, but here in southern california, McDonald’s has begun to renovate their restaurants and are begining to provide customer service that is unexpected of a fast food chain. I went through a McDonald’s drive-through a couple of weeks ago during peak lunch hours and as I was waiting in my car , I was greeted by an employee with a tray of McNuggets and asked if I wanted to have some as I waited! wow! Also, on a different visit to the restaurant, when i finished placing my order the chasier asked me for my name to call my order, rather than just giving me a number. A simiple touch like this does make a difference in the way a customer feels & I am glad to see that McDonald’s is continuing to inovate!

  • http://www.vitaminoc.com/ Jackie Perez

    I couldn’t agree with you more Chris! McDonald’s are truly great business savy people and definetily VERY smart!

    A couple of months ago, after a visit to McDonald’s I was also moved by some of the same thoughts and was motivated in finding out more about McDonald’s history and business strategy. I was surprised to find out about the different brands that McDonalds owns and was particularly interested in their ability to be the leaders in their industry for such a long time despite the economy, wars, trends, and seasons.

    I do not know about the rest of the nation, but here in southern california, McDonald’s has begun to renovate their restaurants and are begining to provide customer service that is unexpected of a fast food chain. I went through a McDonald’s drive-through a couple of weeks ago during peak lunch hours and as I was waiting in my car , I was greeted by an employee with a tray of McNuggets and asked if I wanted to have some as I waited! wow! Also, on a different visit to the restaurant, when i finished placing my order the chasier asked me for my name to call my order, rather than just giving me a number. A simiple touch like this does make a difference in the way a customer feels & I am glad to see that McDonald’s is continuing to inovate!

  • http://www.AMarketersView.com Daniel Faintuch

    Great post.
    When we, marketers, suggest and propose strategies that do not involve mass marketing, we never mean to claim that mass marketing does not work. All that we mean to say is that we believe that most companies are more likely to succeed by utilizing these different approaches. Although McDonald’s is still successful, I doubt that a company getting started nowadays could reach that same size with mass marketing.

  • http://www.AMarketersView.com Daniel Faintuch

    Great post.
    When we, marketers, suggest and propose strategies that do not involve mass marketing, we never mean to claim that mass marketing does not work. All that we mean to say is that we believe that most companies are more likely to succeed by utilizing these different approaches. Although McDonald’s is still successful, I doubt that a company getting started nowadays could reach that same size with mass marketing.

  • http://www.AMarketersView.com Daniel Faintuch

    Great post.
    When we, marketers, suggest and propose strategies that do not involve mass marketing, we never mean to claim that mass marketing does not work. All that we mean to say is that we believe that most companies are more likely to succeed by utilizing these different approaches. Although McDonald’s is still successful, I doubt that a company getting started nowadays could reach that same size with mass marketing.

  • Anonymous

    Great article, Chris. There’s a lot to be said for familiarity. A box of Kleenex, a Starbucks in a strange city (over the local beanery) and, of course, McDonald’s. To many of us, their food is crap .. but it’s crap that we can depend on. Served the same way every time, and at a good price, quickly and reliably, whether we are in Topeka or Timbuktu. And there’s a lot to be said for that. Familiarity makes us comfortable – oftentimes way more comfortable than one-on-one experiences in the “cafe-shaped world.” And eating there takes all the risk out of that particular experience. What McDonald’s has figured out is that there are lots and lots of us (well “billions served” would be more appropriate) who are totally a-ok without any risk in our lives.

    Thanks for sharing – the best part of my day is reading your blog posts :)

  • Anonymous

    Great article, Chris. There’s a lot to be said for familiarity. A box of Kleenex, a Starbucks in a strange city (over the local beanery) and, of course, McDonald’s. To many of us, their food is crap .. but it’s crap that we can depend on. Served the same way every time, and at a good price, quickly and reliably, whether we are in Topeka or Timbuktu. And there’s a lot to be said for that. Familiarity makes us comfortable – oftentimes way more comfortable than one-on-one experiences in the “cafe-shaped world.” And eating there takes all the risk out of that particular experience. What McDonald’s has figured out is that there are lots and lots of us (well “billions served” would be more appropriate) who are totally a-ok without any risk in our lives.

    Thanks for sharing – the best part of my day is reading your blog posts :)

  • ShellyKramer

    Great article, Chris. There’s a lot to be said for familiarity. A box of Kleenex, a Starbucks in a strange city (over the local beanery) and, of course, McDonald’s. To many of us, their food is crap .. but it’s crap that we can depend on. Served the same way every time, and at a good price, quickly and reliably, whether we are in Topeka or Timbuktu. And there’s a lot to be said for that. Familiarity makes us comfortable – oftentimes way more comfortable than one-on-one experiences in the “cafe-shaped world.” And eating there takes all the risk out of that particular experience. What McDonald’s has figured out is that there are lots and lots of us (well “billions served” would be more appropriate) who are totally a-ok without any risk in our lives.

    Thanks for sharing – the best part of my day is reading your blog posts :)

  • http://www.rickboretsky.com Rick Boretsky

    And only Mcdonald’s can take an existing sandwich (the big mac) wrap it in a tortilla and then market the hell out of it as a new creation. I almost never eat there, and even I want to try that ‘re-’creation. Genius!

  • http://www.rickboretsky.com Rick Boretsky

    And only Mcdonald’s can take an existing sandwich (the big mac) wrap it in a tortilla and then market the hell out of it as a new creation. I almost never eat there, and even I want to try that ‘re-’creation. Genius!

  • http://www.rickboretsky.com Rick Boretsky

    And only Mcdonald’s can take an existing sandwich (the big mac) wrap it in a tortilla and then market the hell out of it as a new creation. I almost never eat there, and even I want to try that ‘re-’creation. Genius!

  • http://www.thatdamnredhead.net Stacy Lukas

    Sometimes, though, I think they’re so good and/or routine that they surprise themselves. Case in point: The other day I was driving through and was planning on getting what I usually get — a quarter pounder with cheese meal and a Coke. I’m not picky, I never ask for anything different. That’s what I always get.

    So I get up to the speaker and I hear, “Welcome to McDonald’s, would you like to try a quarter pounder with cheese meal today?”

    Surprised, I answered, “Actually, yes, that’s exactly what I wanted. With a Coke.”

    Silence on the other side for about 5 seconds.

    “Excuse me what was that?” the speaker barked back at me.

    I answered, “You asked if I would like a quarter pounder with cheese meal, and that’s what I wanted. So I said yes. With a Coke.”

    “Ok so you’d like a quarter pounder with cheese meal, with what to drink?”

    “A Coke!”

    I thought we finally had that all straightened out, I pulled up to Window #1, paid, pulled up to Window #2 and got my food, and drove off.

    They gave me a Diet Coke.

  • http://www.thatdamnredhead.net Stacy Lukas

    Sometimes, though, I think they’re so good and/or routine that they surprise themselves. Case in point: The other day I was driving through and was planning on getting what I usually get — a quarter pounder with cheese meal and a Coke. I’m not picky, I never ask for anything different. That’s what I always get.

    So I get up to the speaker and I hear, “Welcome to McDonald’s, would you like to try a quarter pounder with cheese meal today?”

    Surprised, I answered, “Actually, yes, that’s exactly what I wanted. With a Coke.”

    Silence on the other side for about 5 seconds.

    “Excuse me what was that?” the speaker barked back at me.

    I answered, “You asked if I would like a quarter pounder with cheese meal, and that’s what I wanted. So I said yes. With a Coke.”

    “Ok so you’d like a quarter pounder with cheese meal, with what to drink?”

    “A Coke!”

    I thought we finally had that all straightened out, I pulled up to Window #1, paid, pulled up to Window #2 and got my food, and drove off.

    They gave me a Diet Coke.

  • http://yoursabbatical.com/blog/ Elizabeth Pagano

    You’re right. Serving up fast-fatty foods and paying minimum wages is so un-progressive. Yet when other seemingly-progressive companies balk at offering sabbaticals to their employees, guess who’s been serving up sabbaticals since the 1960s?? That’s right, McDonald’s was one of the first to adopt the practice, backing up “You deserve a break today” with real action.

  • http://yoursabbatical.com/blog/ Elizabeth Pagano

    You’re right. Serving up fast-fatty foods and paying minimum wages is so un-progressive. Yet when other seemingly-progressive companies balk at offering sabbaticals to their employees, guess who’s been serving up sabbaticals since the 1960s?? That’s right, McDonald’s was one of the first to adopt the practice, backing up “You deserve a break today” with real action.

  • http://yoursabbatical.com/blog/ Elizabeth Pagano

    You’re right. Serving up fast-fatty foods and paying minimum wages is so un-progressive. Yet when other seemingly-progressive companies balk at offering sabbaticals to their employees, guess who’s been serving up sabbaticals since the 1960s?? That’s right, McDonald’s was one of the first to adopt the practice, backing up “You deserve a break today” with real action.

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  • http://www.dobettermarketing.com Jim Holbrook

    two questions:
    1. is it an “either/or” choice? could McDonalds deliver ‘consistency’ in a mass marketed way, and also overlay personal/social hooks as well? Would that help them or hurt them? Could Tide detergent do it? Gerber baby food? Buick? Hyatt Hotels? Miller Lite? Any brand with mass distribution and a broadcast media budget of over say $100M – - should they try to be more ‘intimate’? Or is it a waste of time and money, and potentially somehow harmful to the brand? I dont see the danger, so why doesnt McDonalds try to be a little more user-friendly?
    2. are some brands (businesses, categories?) more responsive to one approach over the other – mass vs targeted (or broadcast vs narrowcast, or push vs pull) – I am not sure of the nomenclature. But is there a ‘test’ of some kind that would say, gee, for your business, you ought to broadcast out your USP… but for your business, you ought to go down the “cafe” path (to borrow Chris’ term)?

    Just wondering…..

  • http://www.dobettermarketing.com Jim Holbrook

    two questions:
    1. is it an “either/or” choice? could McDonalds deliver ‘consistency’ in a mass marketed way, and also overlay personal/social hooks as well? Would that help them or hurt them? Could Tide detergent do it? Gerber baby food? Buick? Hyatt Hotels? Miller Lite? Any brand with mass distribution and a broadcast media budget of over say $100M – - should they try to be more ‘intimate’? Or is it a waste of time and money, and potentially somehow harmful to the brand? I dont see the danger, so why doesnt McDonalds try to be a little more user-friendly?
    2. are some brands (businesses, categories?) more responsive to one approach over the other – mass vs targeted (or broadcast vs narrowcast, or push vs pull) – I am not sure of the nomenclature. But is there a ‘test’ of some kind that would say, gee, for your business, you ought to broadcast out your USP… but for your business, you ought to go down the “cafe” path (to borrow Chris’ term)?

    Just wondering…..

  • http://www.dobettermarketing.com Jim Holbrook

    two questions:
    1. is it an “either/or” choice? could McDonalds deliver ‘consistency’ in a mass marketed way, and also overlay personal/social hooks as well? Would that help them or hurt them? Could Tide detergent do it? Gerber baby food? Buick? Hyatt Hotels? Miller Lite? Any brand with mass distribution and a broadcast media budget of over say $100M – - should they try to be more ‘intimate’? Or is it a waste of time and money, and potentially somehow harmful to the brand? I dont see the danger, so why doesnt McDonalds try to be a little more user-friendly?
    2. are some brands (businesses, categories?) more responsive to one approach over the other – mass vs targeted (or broadcast vs narrowcast, or push vs pull) – I am not sure of the nomenclature. But is there a ‘test’ of some kind that would say, gee, for your business, you ought to broadcast out your USP… but for your business, you ought to go down the “cafe” path (to borrow Chris’ term)?

    Just wondering…..

  • http://www.coffeerama.com Joe

    I love everything about McDonald’s McCafe… everything except for the silly name

  • http://www.coffeerama.com Joe

    I love everything about McDonald’s McCafe… everything except for the silly name

  • http://www.coffeerama.com Joe

    I love everything about McDonald’s McCafe… everything except for the silly name

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  • Prettyprincess

    totally of subject but who thinks glee in the new twilight? the new fad? the “what is in right now”? well news flash IT IS! we all now stephanie meyer is gunna carry this out as long as she can but glee is gunna be around for seasons and seasons long

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