No matter what country you go on holidays to today, you will always see the famous McDonald’s sign somewhere close by. The brand is so popular that when people see the logo they instantly know that it represents McDonald’s. Over the years McDonald’s have introduced many changes to their menu and their advertising. They also make a point of being big supporters to children charities and they also opened their own charity which is dedicated to supporting families of sick children. They supply leaflets in their restaurants telling customers about this charity and what they have done for it. When advertising their brand in Ireland they seem to focus on the eurosaver menu which if you think about it is probably one of the most important sections of their menu. Advertising is varied in different countries.

Along with serving quick on the go meals such as chips and hamburgers, they also serve a breakfast menu which is served everyday to 10:30am. The McDonald’s franchise is estimated to serve around 64 million customers daily in over 117 countries. In the report released last year by McDonald’s Annual Report (2010) they stated that there are now 32,737 restaurants opened around the world. About 80% of these are franchisees, the rest are run directly by the company itself. In 2010, revenues grew 5% ending in operating income of $7.5 billion.

In 1940 Dick & Maurice McDonald decided to set up the first restaurant in San Bernardino, California. The “Speedee service system” introduced in 1948 established the principles of the now modern fast food restaurant. When they were deciding on the logo back then, they had a man with a chef’s hat which was named Speedee. This was later changed in 1963 to the “M” with the golden arches we now come to associate with McDonald’s today. The McDonald brothers sold their first franchise in 1955 to Ray Kroc who later bought out the company from the brothers. In 1968 the Big Mac was introduced on the menu and in 1972 they introduced the EggMcMuffin. McDonald’s went international in 1967 when it opened its first restaurant outside the US. McDonald’s is renowned for supporting good causes and in 1974 they officially opened their own charity Ronald McDonald Charity House. They then decided in 1975 to make food service even faster by opening a drive-thru. Ireland got its first McDonald’s restaurant in 1977. They debuted their Happy Meal targeted toward children in 1979. McDonald’s then decided to broaden their reach by opening a cafe in 1993 in Australia aptly named McCafe. They ran a global campaign in 2003 called “I’m Lovin It” using a well known singer and celebrity Justin Timberlake to support their cause. He appears in ads for the company and composed the song “I’m Lovin It” which has been their slogan every since. Now they are in their 56th year and still going strong. They continue to improve on their previous success. With the expansion of McDonald’s into many international markets, it has become a symbol of the American way of life. McDonald’s main goal has always been to provide excellent service and great tasting food at affordable price.

McDonald’s main target market has always been children, youth and young families. To attract children, McDonald’s introduced its “Happy Meal” in 1979. Included in each happy meal is a toy. Throughout the years they have developed profitable partnerships with various companies such as Walt Disney and Warner Brothers. The most recent examples we can look at is the Puss in Boots Movie (2011), The Smurfs (2011) and Madagascar (2010) where a toy represented from these movies were included in the Happy Meal. This benefits both McDonald’s and the movie as well. Children seeing the movie will then want to get the toy from McDonald’s or vice versa. The larger restaurants have dedicated specific areas to children. The main benefit here is it is more attractive to young families who want to eat out with their children and enjoy their time while visiting McDonald’s.

In 1963 McDonald’s introduced a recognisable character to represent their company. They named him Ronald McDonald. This character was to become a recognisable image targeted at children and an important part of their branding. He was later a main part of all the television commercials and promotional events hosted by McDonald’s. Even the hospitals were visited by Ronald McDonald, proving that McDonald’s care about all their young customers. After 50 years the character is still recognisable and even has his own website called http://www.ronald.com. Recently there has been talk of retiring Ronald McDonald but McDonald’s CEO says he is not going anywhere. McDonald’s Press Release (2011). Since he was first introduced to us many actors have played the clown face character through the years.

The first Ronald Mc Donald House was opened in 1974 by McDonald’s. Families with sick children who are in hospitals full time can stay in these facilities for free. All these facilities have been conveniently located near hospitals. As of 2010 they are now 300 charity houses globally. Another event which has contributed to the charities is the McHappy Day. This is an annual event at McDonald’s restaurants where a percentage of the day’s sales are given to charity. It is the main fundraising event for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. This year in Ireland, Santa hats are being sold to support McHappy Day.

In 1975 they introduced the first drive-thru. The main reason behind this service was to offer anyone who needed a fast meal on the go a quicker option. Customers avoid the hassle of having to queue in the restaurant and they never need to leave their car. This suits all types of people who are just too busy to queue for a meal. Last Christmas McDonald’s released an advertisement which was specifically for the drive thru. They had different groups of people drive up to the drive thru and they all were singing the Christmas song “Deck the Halls”. This was quite specifically targeted to those out Christmas shopping or people coming home from Christmas parties.

Another marketing campaign which is an ongoing project is the eurosaver menu. It is marketed specifically to the Irish market and was first introduced in 2002. It is a promotion which offers reduced prices on single items. It’s target market is aimed at teenagers and the 18-24 age group. This was a very good marketing move by McDonald’s. Currently there are 10 items on the euro saver menu. The prices range from €1.00 to €2.00. “Ms Murray said McDonald's Eurosaver menu had "insulated us from the worst of the excesses of the drop-off in consumer spending", as customers flock to buy €1 and €2 products.” Noonan L Irish Times 2010. To make customers aware of this promotion McDonald’s have done extensive advertising on television and billboards around the country. The first time this promotion came to our notice was when they had the singer Johnny Logan in their adverts. This really brought it to the attention of the media too as Johnny Logan was a well known figure to the Irish population as he had won two Eurovision Song Contests. They ran this advert for quite a few months and then they decided on a different approach for the next advert. Again it is specifically for the eurosaver menu. The advert was about three guys ordering food and spotting a female who’s passing their table. It’s directed towards young males and gives the impression they can pick up girls at McDonald’s in the year 2222. The most recent advert is that they are currently running involves the four guys again in the year 2222 being transported from their living room into a McDonald’s restaurant in an instant. Is this an indication to us they plan on being around well in to the future? Whatever their reason, it is quite different to any other fast food adverts out there presently.

McDonald’s also branched out into coffee shops. The first McCafe was opened in Australia in 1993. Today they are over 1,000 McCafes globally. McDonald’s.ie (2011). Along with coffee, they also serve food. According to Rugaber C (2001) one of the reasons they opened McCafe was that they had saturated the market with their restaurants and they needed new forms of growth. He states that it will probably be the same customers going to McCafe that are going to the restaurants. The advertisements they use to sell McCafe seem to be targeted at a lot of different age groups for example in one of their advertisements for 2010, they have a mother and daughter in McCafe having coffee together. Another advertisements has two girlfriends out for the day enjoying coffee in a McCafe.

Most McDonald’s restaurants offer both counter-service and drive-thru services. With the huge amount of restaurants throughout the world, their customer base is huge and most people have access to a restaurant near their home. In the city centres, most are sit down restaurants and are on a bigger scale. McDonald’s have researched where they place their restaurants very well.

McDonald’s has maintained an extensive advertising campaign (tv, radio, newspapers, cinema) over the years. It also makes significant use of billboards and sponsoring events e.g. London Olympics 2012, Euro 2012. It has been a sponsor of Olympic Games for the last 30 years. They have had celebrities endorsing their products.

McDonald’s menu has grown in size since it first opened. There is something to suit every person’s taste. Their biggest seller is the hamburger. However, customers’ requirements have changed over time and in order to meet these changes, McDonald’s has introduced new products and phased out old ones, and will continue to do so into the future. McDonald’s knows that items on its menu will vary in popularity with different age groups. They have a good selection of products to choose from and different size meals. In different countries, some products sell better than other. They have also taken into consideration different cultures, for example In Asia they have a McRice – this is a burger made of rice. This was a good move considering rice is the main staple in asian people’s diet. Healthy eating is a big part of this. They have been criticised in the past for their unhealthy food choices especially with obesity rising. Salads have been added to the menu. Calorie content is available on most products now. Products keep changing with the times we live in.

McDonald’s has always been seen as affordable to buy and of good quality. Prices change with time. They want families to know that they don’t have to break the bank to have a meal there whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Over the years, McDonald’s have used several different slogans to leave an impression in people’s heads. Some include “Things that make you go mmm” (2001), “I’m Lovin It” (2003), “We love to see you smile” (2000), “There’s nothing like a McDonald’s” (1990s). Throughout the year, there are certain promotions on in different restaurants. McDonald’s make use of indoor and outdoor posters on their windows, loyalty schemes e.g. coffee cards, Eurosaver menu.

McDonald’s has undergone a process of redesign in their restaurants through the years from plastic chairs to the current recliners and sofas. The current interior revolves around a place for young people to hang out with couches and recliners. With the new change, McDonald’s wants to add young adults and professionals to their core customer base and that is why all the plastic will be replaced with clean and modern lines. The interior varies from country to country but they use local architects to design the new looks. Wi-Fi connections are in a lot of their restaurants now. This is a well thought up idea by McDonald’s to get their customers to stay longer in the restaurant, complete their work with the benefit to them that they might spend more money. McDonald’s focuses on having clean and hygienic interiors in its restaurants.

McDonald’s need to keep moving with the times. They need to keep improving their menu and bring in new healthier options for the foreseeable future. Their competitors are watching every move they make.

REFERENCES

* Demonstrating the Effectiveness of Advertising (2006) [Online], Available at: http://www.iapiadvertisingeffectiveness.ie/cases/cases06/eurosaver.pdf ( Accessed 1st November 2011) * Jen’s Blog, (2007), Available at:http://www.irintech.com/x1/blogarchive.php?id=3264 (Accessed: 3rd November 2011) * McDonald’s Annual Report (2010), Page 11, Available at: http://www.aboutMcDonald’s.com/etc/medialib/aboutMcDonald’s/investor_relations3.Par.56096.File.dat/2010%20Annual%20Report%20(print).pdf (Accessed 1st November 2011) * McCafe McDonald’s Irish Website, (2011) Available at http://www.McDonald’s.ie/mccafe.aspx (Accessed 11th November 2011) * McDonald’s Irish Website, Available at: http://www.McDonald’s.ie (Accessed 8th November 2011) * McDonald’s US website, Available at: http://www.McDonald’s.com (Accessed 8th November 2011) * Noonan, L. (2010), “McDonald’s aims to beef up sales with new menu” The Irish Times, 2nd January 2010 [Online], Available at: http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/McDonald’s-aims-to-beef-up-sales-with-new-menu-1996391.html (Accessed: 10th November 2011) * Rexrode C, (2011) “Midlife Crisis for Ronald McDonald” The Sun News, May 19th 2011 [Online} Available at: http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/05/19/2166917/midlife-crisis-for-ronald-mcdonald.html (Accessed 11th November 2011) * Rugaber C, (2001) Fool.com Available at: http://www.fool.com/news/foolplate/2001/foolplate010430.htm, (Accessed 11th November 2011) * Wikipedia McDonald’s, Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald’s (Accessed 7th November 2011)