McDonald’s Egg McMuffin was a pioneer in the breakfast sandwich category. The jingle “I’m lovin’ it” from many McDonald’s commercials is well known, but if I have previously seen any marketing campaigns specifically for the Egg McMuffin, they were probably mundane because I can’t recall any. However, the new advertisement for it definitely sticks in my mind. After reading the article at http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/egg-mcmuffin-ad-egg-mcmuffin-ads-137501 and watching the video McDonald’s Egg McMuffin Of, it seems the advertisement is memorable to many consumers. Another version of the advertisement at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-YXRQdBwoE has already garnered over 100,000 views after being uploaded on January 6, 2012. The campaign utilizes product and promotion from the marketing mix. By promoting the quality of the product through the repeated use of the phrase “the Egg McMuffin of,” as a shorthand for superiority, the video has helped McDonald’s customer-managed relationship and create value for some consumers. It has caused many consumers to go beyond being a customer and interact with the company as well as others through Facebook and Twitter. These consumers have become advocates for the product, through jokingly or not promoting the phrase and product.  The phrase has been mentioned around 11,000 times on Twitter and 1,200 on Facebook.

This advertisement has helped the Egg McMuffin stand out from the increasing number of alternatives from competitors. It has made me want to purchase an Egg McMuffin. Based on the advertisement alone, I probably wouldn’t become an advocate because what I liked about the video was that it was humorous but it will become stale. I think this tactic is effective, but won’t last very long since the phrase will eventually lose its novelty and consumers won’t find it as humorous if it is used in more advertisements. McDonald’s will need to reconsider their strategy and find a sustainable competitive advantage if they want to continue building lasting relationships with their customers and be able distinguish themselves from their competitors.