The Elements of the Firm’s Promotional Mix
McDonald’s is a company with a versatile promotional mix (PM). The first element of the corporation’s PM, digital and social media marketing, includes publicity that people can view on different devices (Marshall & Johnston, 2019). For instance, McDonald’s has developed digital commercials that present the business’s products as if they were made of emojis (Jardine, 2020).
The second aspect of PM represented by advertising is used by McDonald’s on television, radio, and outdoors (Marshall & Johnston, 2019). For example, the business has utilized billboards with headlines sounding like drunk people ordering food and those with close-up pictures of meals with bites taken out of them (Diaz, 2020; Nudd, 2023). The enterprise’s loyalty program depicts the third PM component, sales promotion (Marshall & Johnston, 2019; Sebastian, 2021).
The fourth piece of McDonald’s PM, public relations, can be seen in such stories as when the company provided COVID-19 first responders with free meals (Marshall & Johnston, 2019; Wohl, 2020). The final part of the corporation’s PM, personal selling, comprises McDonald’s salespeople across thousands of its restaurants (Haddon, 2021; Marshall & Johnston, 2019). Consequently, McDonald’s has a well-organized promotional mix with diverse elements.
The Type of Promotional Strategy to Be Used
As McDonald’s is a large business with many outlets, it is likely to use a combination of push and pull strategies. Marshall and Johnston (2019) state that the two approaches are rarely utilized mutually exclusively and should be balanced for better results. Accordingly, since McDonald’s operates on the international market in multiple countries, it appears practical for the firm to employ an integrated method in its advertisement (“McDonald’s Corp.,” 2023). For instance, McDonald’s can use the above-discussed PM component of personal sales for a push strategy and the element of consumer-directed sales promotion for a pull plan (Marshall & Johnston, 2019). Therefore, a combination of the two techniques will likely be utilized by McDonald’s.
The Firm’s Use of Digital, Mobile, and Social Media Marketing
McDonald’s actively uses mobile (MM) and social media (SMM) marketing. For example, the corporation relies on its branded smartphone application for MM, offering higher personalization and a rewards program for clients (Marshall & Johnston, 2019; Wohl, 2021). Moreover, McDonald’s utilizes SMM through online platforms like TikTok for influencer marketing oriented at potential customers from different countries (Schultz, 2022). For instance, the company invited Jason Sudeikis, a Ted Lasso celebrity, to feature in a recent World Cup campaign (Schultz, 2022). McDonald’s promotion appears to depend on its mobile and social media activity.
The Justification of the Selected Approach to Advertising Execution
McDonald’s uses a variety of approaches to advertising execution, yet one that has been employed relatively lately and seems to be appealing to people is Slice of Life. As such a method portrays a person in everyday settings, a relevant McDonald’s ad depicts a girl growing into an adult woman while ordering the fast-food chain’s products (Marshall & Johnston, 2019; Wohl, 2021). As a result, the video is meant to build deeper personal connections with customers by demonstrating the corporation as an important part of people’s lives (Wohl, 2021). Accordingly, Slice of Life is McDonald’s recently selected approach to advertising execution with the purpose of illustrating the company’s role in one’s daily activities.
The Organization’s Use of Sales Promotion, Public Relations, Live Events, Publicity, or Personal Selling
Sales promotion (SP) is a significant aspect of McDonald’s outreach to customers. Although SP can be oriented at both end-user clients and employees, McDonald’s appears to focus on consumers (Marshall & Johnston, 2019). As mentioned above, the corporation’s loyalty program (LP) is an example of McDonald’s SP. Integrated within the business’s mobile application, the LP offers rewards for ordering certain items from the menu (Wohl, 2021). For instance, a person can receive a BigMac after purchasing Egg McMuffins for breakfast or collect points that can be exchanged for other products, like McNuggets (Sebastian, 2021; Wohl, 2021). Consequently, McDonald’s uses SP to encourage customers to buy more by participating in LP.
References
Diaz, A. C. (2020). These McDonald’s ads take an actual bite out of a Big Mac, fries and cheeseburger. Ad Age. Web.
Haddon, H. (2021). McDonald’s owners offer tuition, child care to lure burger flippers. The Wall Street Journal. Web.
Jardine, A. (2020). This pack of fries, Big Mac and Happy Meal were created entirely out of emoji. Ad Age. Web.
Marshall, G. W., & Johnston, M. W. (2019). Marketing management. McGraw-Hill Education.
McDonald’s Corp. (2023). The Wall Street Journal. Web.
Nudd, T. (2023). McDonald’s new ads are as tipsy as its late-night customers. Ad Age. Web.
Schultz, E. J. (2022). See McDonald’s TikTok-friendly World Cup campaign. Ad Age. Web.
Sebastian, D. (2021). McDonald’s loyalty program goes national. The Wall Street Journal. Web.
Wohl, J. (2020). McDonald’s gives free “Thank you meals” to first responders in latest coronavirus push. Ad Age. Web.
Wohl, J. (2021). A girl grows up with McDonald’s in rewards program push. Ad Age. Web.