Jun 8, 2020
McDonald's versus Coronavirus
Every day, McDonald's makes 40+ million Big Macs worldwide. How does the brand stay coherent in the face of a global pandemic and other enormous challenges?
In this episode:
We're joined by George Strakhov, Head of strategy EMEA for DDB, and Steve Griffiths, Chief Digital Officer for DDB Europe, both of whom work with McDonald's across 40+ markets.
The scale of the McDonald's business
A dynamic and complex business
Product and experience
Diversity of touchpoints
Geographical diversity
Menu diversity
Segment diversity
Guest counts and sales
Speed of the feedback loop
DDB and McDonald's
From advertising to strategic planning and tactical activation
Market to market activation
Digital transformation
Focus on convenience - experience, accuracy and efficiency
Optimising process in a process driven company
Changing consumer tastes and experience
Artificial intelligence
Creating interconnected, intelligent touchpoints
Preference and transactional data
Loyalty and longitudinal data
Data driven marketing, analytics and experience design
Creating a coherent brand experience
Maximising the interaction
The balance between delivering the most value for customer and business
Short term (activation) vs long term drivers (brand)
Constantly adapting to circumstance - a very responsive business
McDonald's and the Coronavirus crisis
Restaurant closures
Cautious reopening
Focus on crew
The perils of getting it wrong
A return to the foundational elements of the business
People needing the basics more than ever - Quality, Service, Cleanliness
The 'bubble of happy'
Producing 40 million Big Macs all the same
Switch to drive thru, changes to menu, delivery changes, dark kitchens
The benefits of being a 'known quantity'
Creating intergenerational connections
Happy Meals and birthday parties
No longer a family mealtime
Screen distractions
Matching the brand with the next generation
Innovation and brand experience
Entrepreneurship vs innovation
Bazaars vs cathedrals
The difficulties of tech mediated brand experience
A gap that needs closing
Giving franchisees and restaurant managers the capacity