By: Katy Flanagan
If I took a yellow marker and drew two golden arches, in just about every country people would instantly know that drawing to be McDonald’s iconic logo.
McDonald’s started off as a small little barbecue place in California. The two brothers who started it failed and eight years later made it big. Their famous hamburger was all the rage and only cost 15 cents. The company is growing and capitalism definitely plays a role. The buying and selling relationship we have has made McDonald’s boom. The desire to make money inspired companies to expand. Because of this, advertising and globalization have become influential factors in companies’ success. McDonalds’ desire to make more money has made them become one of the top thriving global companies.
Global advertisement is crucial in our world today as well as mass media. In order to be successful on a global scale, companies have to specify their brand for every country while simultaneously creating a consistent brand.
They also have to make sure their brand is marketed on television, social media, streaming sites, and more. This is because of the idea of convergence. Convergence leads to consumers having the expectation that everything can be found online in one device (Vivian 60). Because of this mindset and fact that so many things are on our phones, companies like McDonalds have to make sure their ads can be seen where people spend their time; on their phones.
One example is McDonalds having mobile ordering on their app across the globe.
McDonalds has its hands full with having 34,000 restaurants in over 118 countries. The advertising team has to make sure that it’s ads connect with everyone in all of those countries.
Global product marketing is the name of the game and McDonald’s masters this by doing two things:
- Segmentation
- Experimentation
Segmentation looks at what the wants and tastes of the customers are and if the marketing is up to date. It wants to reflect the changing demands of the customers. McDonalds adapts to the different countries they operate in.
Experimentation and testing out products is another key strategy. McDonalds does this by adding or deleting food from their menus according to consumer trends and local popularity. For example in the US McRibs are available for a short time during the year. The same goes for other places. The Teri Tama Burger in Japan is only served in the spring.
In short McDonalds does a phenomenal job of paying close attention to adapting needs of global markets.
They also keep a consistent brand with their focus on quick and quality service. While you can get their signature fries and hamburger anywhere, they also make unique menus for each of their locations.
In Malaysia and Singapore you can order a Durian McFlurry. In New Zealand you can get sliced beets on your burger. I noticed this first hand when abroad in Germany. Not only could I get their regular stick french fries but I could also order curly fries. The list goes on and on for unique menus across the globe.
McDonald’s Menus around the World
McDonald’s marketing and advertising strategies have allowed them to become the multi-billion dollar company that they are today. The emergence of mass media along with noticing the trend of convergence has allowed the company to run global campaigns and reach a variety of audiences around the world. Without the help of advertising, McDonalds’ golden arches would not be as known as they are today.
Sources
Media and Globalization 