As a young child, I remember once a week my family and I
would splurge on the luxury of dinning out at McDonalds. The iconic Happy Meal
always fascinated my sister and me and I think I was more motivated to go for
the toy rather than the meal. The fast food giant has been a very good example
of changing their brand to adapt to the needs of consumers of every culture. McDonalds primarily motivates consumers on a basis
of the Biological Needs theory meaning that every human needs food to survive.
Even a basic theory such as Biological needs can become more complex as
societal changes require an evolution in the Fast Food Industry.
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| McDonalds PlayLand as I remember as a Child |
As a young
child, I related well towards the companies marketing tactics towards children.
I remember it was a treat going to the McDonalds Play Land and having fun in
the coloured ball pit and climbing though tubes and various obstacles. The
McDonalds brand however as adapted well towards the changing needs of consumers
and the pysopgrahic needs of multiple target markets. Recently, the company has
been successful in their worldwide expansion efforts. They now serve India and
even have adapted a menu towards the vegetarian demographic of the country.
They even removed beef extract from their deep frying oil.
Fast food
generally meets the needs of those with a fast paced life style or those who
require more of a convenience need. McDonalds has also been good at delivering
a pricing strategy to meet a variety of income earners. In North America, they
have a value picks menu with a large selection of items priced $1.89 allowing low-income
earners such as students to use their product. In Asia, The Company has adopted
a luxury model. In Japan, the McDonald’s operates a full service at the
“Restaurant M” with an upscale menu.
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| New McDonalds design in Rotterdam |
The
Interior’s of most restaurants have also been given a facelift to reflect the
new brand. Most restaurants have a crystal bed fireplace, Wi-Fi, and bar
stools. The menu has also responded reasonably well towards social needs. The
chain was a muse of much controversy when the documentary “Super Size Me” was
released. While the nutritional value of fast food is still questionable,
McDonalds has responded with new healthier alternatives to meet the needs of
health conscious consumers.
I don’t eat
McDonalds every day but I am a huge fan of their McCafé line. When I was
working In Sault Ste. Marie ON last summer, they were a McDonalds across the
street from my office. I loved being able to get a large coffee and a muffin
for under $2 every day and sometimes two times daily. I also like the design of
their McCafe cups. I find they keep my coffee warmer for longer and they also
have a rewards sticker. I probably have over a dozen free beverages now. I used
to have a Starbucks reward card but I loose those frequently and it’s hard to
keep track of gift cards and reloading my card periodically. I like the
tangible stickers you place on your rewards card. I’m old fashioned but it
works well for me.
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| McDonalds ad responding to Green consumer movement with healthy menu items. |
Sources:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/mcdonalds-high-end-tokyo-sit-pop/story?id=32592353
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