Mcdonalds Global Marketing Assignment

McDonalds Global Marketing Assignment

McDonalds is a classic American company that started in the 1940’s as “speedy junk food” restaurant. The first franchise was bought in 1955, and has continued to grow exponentially worldwide to reach over 34,000 restaurants in 119 countries to date. McDonalds started off by selling mainly hamburgers, french fries, and soft drinks, but over time they started introducing other products such as chicken sandwiches, breakfast items, and desserts. Recently, they even began to add healthier options to their menu, such as salads, vegetarian items, and wraps. Just as McDonalds has adjusted their menu in response to the demands and cultural appeals of US consumers, they have applied the same strategy to their foreign franchises in order to emerge, adapt, and grow into what is now the most familiar restaurant in the entire world.

Understanding another country’s culture and values is crucial to the success of any global marketing initiative. Some companies might standardize their products globally, but just use different promotion strategies to sell them. For a corporation with such a traditionally westernized reputation like McDonalds though, it is of even more importance to consider food preferences, lifestyle, and tradition while expanding and marketing in foreign countries. McDonalds has chosen to sell their products and services similar to that sold in the US, but with minor adaptations catering to each country or region it does business in.

McDonalds offers a wide variety of choices on their menu in the US. They have about 13 different types of burgers, 24 breakfast items, 17 choices on the dessert menu, and offer Happy Meals or Mighty Kids Meals for children. In countries similar to the US such as Canada or England, the menu doesn’t vary much, generally only with less overall choices. There are a couple of things that these country’s McDonalds offer that you wouldn’t find in the US, such as English Muffins in...