McDonalds Promotional Objectives The companies' main objective is to be the family restaurant that people enjoy more

Authors Avatar


A study of Promotional Objectives for McDonalds………..

McDonalds Promotional Objectives

The companies’ main objective is to be the family restaurant that people enjoy more.

Apart from wanting to be the world’s best quick-service restaurant, McDonalds have the following objectives:

  • Development: Lead the Quick Service Restaurant market by a program of site development and profitable restaurant openings, and by attracting new customers. Increasing sales through promotions will enable them to continue their program of expansion.

  • Menu. McDonalds have an objective to continual enhance and improve their menu. This will better satisfy their customers and give customers more reason to visit. Many ideas for new items on the menu come from the franchisees responding to customer demand. Consumer tastes change over time and McDonalds has to respond to these changes. The introduction of the Egg McMuffin in 1971, for example, meant that McDonald’s could cater for the breakfast trade.

  • Our People: Achieve a competitive advantage through people who are well motivated and feel part of the McDonald's team in achieving the company's objectives. Their objective of good staff and training is highlighted in their training by having a goal “every minute of every hour – make customers glad they came

Under this objective is McDonalds commitment to its franchisees, it recognises that the success and profitability of McDonald’s is linked to the success of the franchises. A highly qualified team of professional consultants offers continuous support on everything from human resources to accounting and computers. 

  • Restaurant Excellence: Focus on consistent delivery of quality, service and cleanliness through excellence in our restaurants. Also taking into account changing attitudes. This will ensure that customers go away pleased with the service they have received.

  • Operating Structure: Optimise restaurant performance through the selection of the most appropriate operating, management and ownership structures. McDonalds have an objective to grow earnings per share between 10% and 15% in each of the years – 1997 to 2002.  They have achieved this to date and are confident that this objective will continue.  It is important to please shareholders by financial gains and stability, so that they will continue their investments with McDonalds.

  • The Brand: Continue to build the relationship between McDonald's and our customers in order to be a genuine part of the fabric of British society. Continual promotion is needed to build sales and image, and creates awareness of the products and the organisation.

The following is an Extract taken from McDonalds Marketing Plan which outlines how they try to achieve their promotional objectives

How Promotions support McDonalds objectives

McDonalds promotions support their objectives by promoting a happy family atmosphere.  McDonalds know that customers are their business and they must try to achieve that their customers leave their restaurants with a smile. McDonalds go to great lengths to portray this in their promotions by using happy families. For example in their latest advertising campaign, “We love to see you smile”.  This campaign features people having fun and is reinforced with soft music and lyrics of  ‘we like to see you smile’.  The campaign portrays McDonalds having a friendly atmosphere and encourages their customers to join in.  

McDonald's advertising consists of promotional and brand advertising:

Promotional Advertising 
Promotional advertising gives people a new reason to visit McDonald's or to try McDonald's for the first time.

McDonald's Marketing researches, designs, plans and implements great new offers such as novelty burgers, games, premiums and ‘Happy Meals’ which offer great value and new taste sensations.

Brand Advertising 
Brand advertising promotes the personality of McDonalds brand and builds a relationship with their customers. It reflects the ways that different customers experience McDonald's

McDonalds promotional and brand advertising are designed to run together and keep McDonald's at the top of the customers' minds.

McDonalds also tries to give the customer what they want, e.g. faster drive thro's, good value, new products, and better systems that delivers the food fresher. Happy customers can only achieve their objectives.

Join now!

McDonalds must ensure they have the right promotional mix, of advertising, sales promotion and publicity to meet the promotional objectives and promote a particular product. They must get all these things right for an effective campaign. Market research is very important and must be continuous throughout the promotion to ensure the promotion is achieving its objectives.

McDonalds tries to persuade their customers to eat and drink more each time they visit, for example McDonalds ‘2 for 1’ offer campaign (2 special meals for the price of one), they offered in January was targeted to the younger generation, because ...

This is a preview of the whole essay