McDonald’s – Anne Cheng's Blog

Don’t Give Up On What You Want

I just got back my 2nd marketing midterm exam mark yesterday… I thought I did so well on it, but it turned out that I didn’t do well. And now I feel so bummed because I had studied twice as hard for this second midterm and ended up with practically the same grade as the first time time AND I even recently decided that marketing was the best option for me :(. So since I am not in the mood to write about some really cool marketing things, I have decided to dedicate this post to a few McDonald’s products that have failed (adapted from Top 10 Failed McDonald’s Products – Xanthius does a great job of injecting his/her fun personality in this post!).

McLobster

Now really, maybe this would have worked in Europe where they enjoy a more leisure lifestyle and maybe have a pricier tasting palette. But who wants to spend $5.99 on a fast food burger! Why you fail? PPPrice!

Next is Hulaburger.

That disgusting thing inside is a pineapple. Yuk! But there is a story behind this one. Hulaburger was a famous burger of Ray Krok’s (the guy who turned McDonald’s from its small comings to today’s mega-franchise). This burger was introduced in 1963 aimed at Roman Catholics who were forbidden to eat meat on Fridays. How hard is it to stay away from burgers once a week?!

Lastly, McAfrica!

This was one of the most tragic marketing fails for McDonald’s. They lauched the McAfrica during the a time when widespread famine in Africa was all over the news! Who would want to buy a McAfrica to feel guilty and selfish while eating it? Why you fail? Wrong timing!!

To conclude this post about failing, here’s a quote from George Moen, “The person does not fail, the business does.” So for those marketers at McDonald’s, don’t feel like you have failed, you guys just made a bad decision. And for my fellow classmates who did not do so well on their exams, I say to you, “The person does not fail, your grades do.” But so what? Continue chasing after what you want and you will be rewarded. As for me, I will continue going after my marketing gig 🙂

Shamrock Shake It!

The McDonald’s Shamrock Shake is back and its a sure sign that spring is back with us! Actually, it’s the first time I’ve heard of McD’s Shamrock Shakes. But the first thing I though was “Oh cool!” and then I thought “Ew.. looks kind of nasty” and so I never tried one. It is “a mint flavored, green-dyed vanilla milkshake, is a seasonal dessert sold at McDonald’s during March to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day”.

Shamrock Shake was first introduced in 1970. “It all began with a little girl, a football team, and a visionary doctor.” (said on the McDonald’s website) And basic story goes like this — There was a football player’s daughter who was diagnosed with leukemia and began treatment. That family realized that many family’s like them had to camp out in waiting rooms while their family members were receiving treatment. So the family and the team decided to raise some funds, called up a friend who worked in McDonald’s advertising and suggested the team for the next promotional push. It just so happened to be St. Patrick’s Day. The Shamrock Shake raised enough money to buy a four-story house which was the first Ronald McDonald House Charity.
Story from: Wikipedia – Shamrock Shake

I might now go get a Shamrock Shake after knowing that it has a symbolic meaning behind it. So I really think that having a story behind a product really allows for products to sell, sometimes even if they aren’t very good products. It’s the story that the customers buy.

McDonald’s clever marketing promotion to play off of Chicago’s annual green dying of the river for St. Patrick’s Day! A great way to catch people’s attention — not to mention Dramatic!

Pictures courtesy of Rindert Dalstra’s post on CreativeCriminals.