EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

McDonald’s is a quick service restaurant founded in 1955 by Ray Kroc. From its early days of serving burgers, McDonald’s has grown into a global household brand. McDonald’s now has restaurants in over 100 countries and has become the 9th most powerful global brand according to Interbrand. McDonald’s aims to be “customers’ favorite place and way to eat and drink.” However, as the fast food industry has progressed, McDonald’s has lost its identity as that favorite place and is no longer at the cutting edge of the industry. McDonald’s makes every effort to localize its offerings to the consumer segments it appeals to around the world, catering to local tastes and flavors. The company also tries to segment by income level and cater to consumers on varying budgets with its Dollar Menu, premium items, and extra value meals. McDonald’s does not differentiate itself in any one category of fast food, with competitors dominating in taste in other categories, but it does stand out for its variety and convenience. Due to the fact that McDonald’s does not provide the best fare in any given category, it has relied heavily on positive advertising and messaging that targets emotions. McDonald’s messaging focuses on building the brand and highlighting the emotion of happiness. This can be seen in commercials and the long-time slogan of “I’m Lovin’ It,” for example.
In order to understand what the brand truly means to consumers, our group conducted a number of different types of research. To begin, we conducted qualitative research including interviews and focus groups in order to understand consumers’ brand associations. Next, we created a survey to further understand McDonald’s competitors, strengths, and weaknesses. From this survey we identified a number of key findings. The first is that McDonald’s food is considered to be of very low health