How does McDonald’s promote their food? Learn their secrets

In today’s world, McDonald’s is a name that is rarely unheard of. Launched in 1940, the company had by late 1960s  established itself at a global level, and has been expanding continuously ever since. But, what makes McDonald’s so successful? How did the company manage to stay on track for decades? The answer is simple- Efficient promotion of their food through marketing. Let’s explore more.

Who dines at McDonald’s?

This is perhaps one of the biggest factors- to identify your customers as a brand. McDonald’s had a huge range of consumers- thanks to its affordable, fast food restaurants. Most of the customers ranged from a little over 30 to past 50, irrespective of the genders. People who dined at McDonald’s were usually from the lower middle class category, with an average expenditure of around $8 whenever they dined. 

Customer Expansion

Many of the customers from the aforementioned age range were working parents and often visited with their children. And that’s when McDonald’s thought of expanding its category. In the year 1979, the company introduced the concept of “Happy Meals” which targeted specifically to children. To make this boom up, they even added a complimentary free toy alongwith every happy meal. With this idea, the business boomed up rapidly, witnessing tremendous increase in sales figures. 

Chain of Advertisements- a genius move

McDonald’s has been running successful Ad campaigns over time.The first ever advertising campaign was run sometime in the 1960s, in which the company introduced its famous ‘M’ logo. In fact, the concept of “Happy Meals” was also introduced through an ad campaign. 

Ever since then, McDonald’s has been heavily investing in advertising campaigns. 

TV Ads

McDonald’s has been investing heavily in TV and radio Ads. The company particularly advertises their newly added items in the menu, discounts, and works of charity. In the year 2018, McDonald’s had spent more than $50 million on TV advertising in the US alone. 

Billboards

Billboards are yet another point of interest for this company. They invest in billboards as well- whether they are static (showing posters) or digital (having screens). They choose billboards which are located in busy areas and have high crowd density, which makes their advertisement more visible to the public. 

Sponsorships

McDonald’s has been constantly promoting itself in ways unimaginable- and this is one such example. The company sponsors many sports teams such as NFL, Ligue 1, FIFA and NASCAR, just to mention a few. This implies that the company’s logo would be showcased throughout the entire event.

Ambience

Marketing under this brand is creative, and it is evident from the practice of ambient marketing. In case you are unaware of what it means, Ambient advertising refers to displaying/promoting one’s brand in the most unlikely places. Let’s say, a man-sized figurine of the company (the clown) has been placed in the bustling part of a metropolitan city, and this would surely catch someone’s attention. 

This multifaceted method of promoting the brand has resulted in its commendable growth throughout the years. This also shows the difference in mindsets- investing in only one sort of ads will less likely lead to continuous success like this. 

Digital Marketing

McDonald’s has set its foot in digital marketing by using social media as a medium. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are constantly acquiring thousands of new users every day. And unlike reality, virtuality does not really have an age barrier- everyone with a smartphone and an account in these apps is a potential consumer. 

Presence in social media

And this is where this company did its thing- they invested in Digital Marketing as well. Not only that, interaction with the consumers directly through these apps by organising interactive challenges boosted their growth significantly. 

Promotion through consumers

The growth of McDonald’s audience as well as the increasing number of people in social media led to a new advantage. As more people visited the dine outs, they posted their pictures- but the important thing here is that by doing so and tagging the brand, the brand got even more popular.

Interactive sessions to boost engagement 

Giving coupons online and sharing their menu updates on social media led to even more growth of their social media handles. Even posting funny reels along with a message to the society at times has boosted their audience. 

Massive collaborations

The company collaborates with renowned personalities such as creators and celebrities (either regional/international) which in turn convinces the former’s audience to try out McDonald’s at least once. And yes, this has been a success too.

Independent mobile app

McDonald’s has got its very own mobile app, which has got a huge number of downloads. The app provides you with the facility to place an order and skip the queue, and this has helped a lot in alluring more and more customers over time. 

Conclusion

It would not be wrong to say that McDonald’s as a brand has done a commendable job by playing smart. You see, any brand that requires establishment needs one primary thing, and this particular thing is the most important factor behind a brand’s success. That key is “recognition by the public.”  The audience is equally responsible as well as plausible behind the success of any brand. With right strategies and thoughtful implementation, the public mass can act as a catalyst which would boost the growth of a company significantly.