For years people have raised concerns regarding the fast food industry and how unhealthy and possibly dangerous it is for its consumers. No matter how swiftly these fast food chains try to dodge the onslaught brought upon them, they never succeed in satisfying anyone’s questions regarding how healthy or unhealthy their food is.
McDonald’s Canada has recently tried to clear the air and answer direct questions from its consumers by launching yourquestions.mcdonalds.ca where anyone can ask a direct question to McDonald’s. McDonald’s replies in turn and aims to fully satisfy the consumer by answering to the best of their abilities.
This campaign is designed to market McDonald’s more transparently and at using social media efficiently-people who got answers to their questions can share it with their friends through facebook or Twitter. One huge ‘confession’ to a frequently question was in the form of a video which can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSd0keSj2W8&feature=plcp. The question was, ‘Why the burgers photographed in McDonald’s ads look so much more appetizing than they do in real life’.
This platform which McDonald’s is using is laudable and an effective way to deal with actual problems AND ‘myths’ which arise when any brand gets recognition or is frequently used by consumers. The food industry is particularly sensitive and so this may be a good move on McDonald’s part to clarify and debunk the myths surrounding it’s products.
However, there isn’t absolute certainty that this will work and so there’s an element of risk involved. McDonald’s tried something similar in the US but it backfired, much to the dismay of McDonald’s so it’s not a fail-proof marketing plan but it’s a good effort nonetheless.
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