So who is McDonalds’ target market? According to them it seems to be anyone and everyone, from kids to families to busy workers. It’s most likely that their regular consumers not people who are considerably health conscious. Now obviously McD’s cannot go “vegan” or “wholesome and fat free” so they’ve decided to tap into a target market that is quite underrated if you ask me – Mothers. Think about it. Who usually buys all the groceries for the household? Who decides what brand of detergent is better, and what type of bread is healthier? Who does the research to find out which diapers are best for the baby?…Moms! They have  a lot of buying power, when it comes to shopping for themselves as well as the entire family (to an extent). Research has also discovered that moms are more likely to advocate brands and pass on coupons (M2Moms).

McDs has recognized the huge potential of this consumer group and has thought of a way to encourage moms to buy more Happy Meals for their kids. Now instead of a little plastic toy, Happy Meals will come with a children’s book and a finger puppet to go with it. And not just that, the stories in these books are original and actually carry nutritional messages! The fast food chain also wants to increase advertising juice and milk as drink options for Happy Meals rather than soda. Is this going to work? Will moms really start buying more Happy Meals for their kids just because the books are educational? Maybe, if they come out with new content often and it becomes somewhat of a collector’s item for the little ones. And although it might not change how moms feel about the unhealthiness of a Happy Meal, there’s always the chance that it just might make them feel less guilty about buying them. There’s also expectations that the company just might become the country’s largest children’s book publisher for the month of November! I guess we will have to wait and see.