In Sandra Pham’s blog post about McDonald’s newly launched site “Our Food. Your Questions,” a website that “aims to debunk popular myths about the company and its products by answering consumer inquiries directly,” she argues although McDonald’s could “stamp out false rumors by the masses” because information spreads so rapidly on the internet, it would be difficult to change consumers’ original impressions of the company due to the concept of brand positioning. McDonald’s is known for tasty, cheap and unhealthy fast foods low in nutritional value. Thus, it isn’t hard for consumers to believe any “bizarre accusations against its food safety.”
I believe brand positioning is very important for a company’s image, and especially for McDonald’s, will be very hard to change. If you have watched “Super Size Me,” you know what I’m talking about when I say it has put me off of McDonald’s forever! The movie is a documentary of one man who went on an all McDonald’s diet for a month. Needless to say, his health deteriorated, exposing the poor quality in McDonald’s foods. The negative things said about a company will always stick in the minds of consumers easier than the positive.
Ever since the movie was released, McDonald’s have been fighting the media to regain reputation by introducing healthy choices in its menu such as salads, wraps and grilled burgers. This newly launched website “Our Food. Your Questions,” is yet another way McDonald’s is trying to fight against the rumors and accusations. However, the McDonald’s name will forever be tarnished by judgements set in the past no matter how hard it tries to redeem itself. For example, the first brand that comes to mind when mentioning the cause of child obesity is McDonald’s. First impressions are crucial. Even though efforts can be made to make things better, McDonald’s will never be known as a healthy fast food chain.
Sandra Pham’s blog site:
