Whitney lindskog‘s blog has brought my focus on McDonald’s time base marketing plan. When McDonald began in 1955, there was hardly any market strategy at all; we will call this the beginning of time, in a fast food perspective of course. From the start with no other fast food restaurant to compete with them, they had full control. This gave them time to understand their environment. Then came the source of fast food, the “big band”, accelerated dining time. More profit means: More customers, less time at each table, which means that they would need to eat faster. (bare in mind they do not have drive threw back then) Family’s were perfect candidate for such eating habits. If you don’t believe me just think of your last real Thanksgiving dinner. This crunch time theology brought McDonald through out the ages. It revolutionized itself to now, with unique designs each decade to attract the families through the 80’s and 90’s.
Too bad people no longer wanted to be fat, or else McDonald would not have to change their marketing mix at all. Common, who wants a salad where the restaurant is know for the fatness of their food.(who ironically tells you how fatty they are) Well at least we can trust that one day McDonald’s is going to create some life preserving food. If we live longer, it will mean we buy more food and would be a better long term investment in us. Then they will be hands down master of time.
