Question

Can you come up with a Marketing Plan for McDonald’s using their financial report from 2018? The plan must include the P’s: product, price, place, and promotion. The guidelines for the 4 P’s are below. It must also include an appendix. The marketing plan must be a minimum of 3,500 words.

Product

a) Identify the product types they sell and include pictures of the packaging.

For example, for Frito Lays Inc. some of the product types they sell are

potato chips, corn chips, and tortilla chips.

b) Discuss where you think their products are in the product life cycle and explain why.

c) Identify the corporate (parent) brand (Frito Lays Inc.) and master brands and include pictures of the logos. For example, Doritos, Lays, Fritos, Cheetos etc. are master brands of Frito Lays Inc.   

The parent brand includes the words Company, Inc. etc. Sometimes one of the master brands might also include the parent brand name, but without the Inc., Company, Corporation etc.

d) Discuss if their strategy is multi product branding, multi branding, or private branding and fully explain why based on what you observed and the concepts discussed in the textbook. Include pictures.

e) Discuss and give examples of their line extensions or brand extensions. Include pictures.   

Price

a) Identify the price point ranges for each product type. Create a table to summarize the products and the price points. It could be bronze, silver, gold or small, medium, and large etc for different product types coffee, tea, brownies etc or TV's, phones etc.

b) Discuss why or why not you feel their strategy is penetration pricing or skimming.

c) Discuss if they segmented the market by price or some other segmentation approach.   

Place   

a) Indicate which channels (what types of retailers: grocery stores etc) and which retailers (Target etc) sell their product.

b) Discuss if their distribution strategy is intensive, selective, or exclusive.   

Promotion (Advertising)

a) Discuss the types of advertising and promotions they have implemented.

b) Discuss their use of broadcast (TV / Radio), print (magazines / newspapers), and support media (billboards / internet).

Appendix: (not included in the word count)

Answer 1

PRODUCT:
Some of the product type that McDonald's sell are:

French fries

McGriddles Breakfast Sandwich

Cheeseburger

Premium Salads

Smoothie

SERVINGS OF EGETABLES one-of a KI so good!. greens on with 8 varleties .

Happy Meal

happy

Snack Wrap

b)

When it comes to serve customers important thing is to deliver them a several number of choices to choose from the menu which gives customers to decide for which product they going to spend money for. In McDonalds they have created a menu according to their market research findings which helps their potential customers fulfil their needs.

Whatever we do to satisfy customers needs the customers interests change over time. What is demanded in the market today will be discarded tomorrow. So organisations needs to constantly monitor customer’s preferences.

In order to overcome this needs McDonalds manage to introduce variety of new products into the market which helps to keep sales going. When new product comes out old product will be phase down. And make sure that new product will be successful without failing and damaging the sales.

i'm lovin' it

• Brands are not easy to be built but are the profit of patience and tolerance taken in the business.

From 1955 till now every year there was a new strategy for McDonald’s to be followed but still

now it is striving. Today in this era brand and its value can be measured, due to which McDonald

is currently ranked as 6 World's Most Valuable Brands (forbes, 2015). Their brand mantra leads

them to be successful which is being undeniable or unquestionable. They make their brand

unquestionable by responding to the problems like obesity and other rumors, which were saying

that the McDonald’s food is unhygienic, they have used various tactics to satisfy their customers

even in one advertisement they have said kitchen doors are opened for customers. Means in that

advertisement they have shown visits of customers in their kitchens and have given them the

information about their process. This has again created the positive image in the minds of

customer’s (Saifullah et al., 2014)

• According to (Pomposo, 2014 ) the two major reasons for their success is Experimentation and

Right Segmentation. Just for while if we deeply analyze that with such diverse customer’s base

McDonald’s is still able to adapt its marketing and advertising campaigns of different countries

cultures. The key answer for this question is continuous experimentation and innovation from

McDonald’s for having the unique or iconic items.

• They are introducing various products from 1955 till now and are increasing their geographic

boundaries just like they have entered in India where Hindu’s has not eaten meat. In India they

have introduce the vegetables burgers like Mac-Allo or Mac-Tiki Burger. There was a risk factor

may be the taste would be preferred by the Indians or not but the experiment worked. This idea

works for the McDonalds but this type of thing they have not introduced in the neighboring

country in Pakistan. May be this would not work in that region. See how carefully they are

taking decisions.

Price

When price a product organisations always need to look from customers corner. Customers have their own picture that how is the product worth. If it is more than a physical product for the customers it contains psychological value for the customer.

If a product priced very low there is a concern about customers perspective towards that product because customers might jump into conclusion that the product is law priced based on the law quality. It is very important when a product been priced organisation has to keep in mind the brand and its integrity.

Promotions

Promotion covers all types of marketing communication in marketing mix. There is large number of ways to promote products such as advertising on TV, radio, in cinema, online, news papers, magazine, poster sites. There are methods as well such as Door to door service, free delivery, sales promotions, merchandising, direct mail, display, telemarketing, exhibitions, seminars, demonstrations, loyalty schemes and etc.

To success in the marketing communication is an organisations need to use several of these methods and creating a campaign to bring results. As a example mcdonalds have TV advertisements to give the awareness of the product to the customers, The printed media will give more details about the product. When a customer arrived to a McDonalds store there is a in store promotions to make people try the product and using collectable promotion they make customers to keep buying the product. Effective communication can deliver right message via right medium to the right target market or audiences. It is really important that the messages communicated through each and other supports without confusing the customer and understanding of what represent the brand. Key to success in marketing objective in advertising is making aware the customers about the products and makes them feel positive about the product.

Place

Place is very important for some organisations according to their nature of business or services. As a element of marketing mix place is not only a physical place or location it’s also contains process of bringing products to the end consumer.