Author of Mudpuddle Farm books
image taken from turnerbooks.tbpcontrol.co.uk
Earlier this year McDonald's started a campaign to help the fight against illiteracy in the UK. The organization handed out approximately nine million books by author Micheal Morpugo. The books were Mudpuddle Farm books that included Pigs Might Fly! and Mossops Last Chance. Even though Micheal Morpugo is most famous for its children's book titled War Horse and this campaign was started as a promotion tool for the release of the film version in British movie theatres the campaign is something that should be adapted in all franchises in the United States and other locations.
image taken from goodreads.com
In November McDonalds was under serious scrutiny when the city of San Fransisco banned giving away toys in happy meals that were high in calories and fat. Now, toys are 10 cent each and the cost of each toy goes to McDonalds charity. During this campaign the books were free with a purchase but also available for purchase separately without a kids meal.
Eight out of ten families visit McDonalds to eat. Everyone knows that a family that eats together stays together now imagine if they read together. The campaign was supported by the National Literacy Trust saying that because of McDonald's size, name recognition, and image the campaign is "a huge leap towards encouraging more families to read together." Research from the National Literacy Trust showed that one in three children which is approximately four million kids do not even own a book.
With funding being snatched from education left and right to fund unnecessary events its great that McDonalds is finding a way to help promote education and stop illiteracy. from the UK to the U.S. campaigns similar to this should be started.
McDonalds will be holding an event on Saturday September 29th, 2012 at 9 A.M. This event is located in Prescott and Northern Arizona McDonald restaurants. Parents with children ranging from the ages of 5 - 10 will receive a FREE BICYCLE HELMET provided by Arizona Chapter of American Academy. I think this is an asset for Public Relations department because it gives back to the community and it also helps market the company.
By participating in events like this, the population will look at McDonald's as more than just a restaurant or fast food place but more of a company who gives back and provides. Bicyclist
in my opinion are not a huge crowd, but when it comes to eating out... They'll choose McDonald's over Burger King for the simple fact of this event.
McDonald's has introduced a new item in its menu in Austria. It is called the McNoodles. According to the article, "It comes with vegetables and salad, chicken pieces and either sweet and sour or curry sauce." The dishes will be available on Thursday for a limited time. Asian noodles are very popular in Austria and McDonald's wanted to capitalize on that opportunity. It is also a move to diversify its food options on the menu. It is too bad that McNoodles are only available in Austria. If it was offered in the United States, I would definitely like to try it out. McDonald's offers regional options in various parts of the world. For example, in India it offers McAloo Tikki, a burger made with a spicy breaded potato patty, red onions, tomatoes and a "special vegetable sauce." I'm glad that McDonald's continues to innovate new dishes. It keeps the customers coming back for more options.
McDonalds is number 107 on the Fortune 500 list. This is because of the $27,006.0 Million in Revenues and the 5,503.1 Million in Profit. McDonalds has quite a reputation and has been around for a very long time. McDonalds was passed up by Subway not too long ago, but it still brings in more money. A company does not have to have thousands of locations to do well, but it helps. McDonalds compared to Subway in my eyes is night and day. McDonalds get more foot steps and has a drive thru where Subway doesn't. Even with the way people are trying to change their eating habits and live a healthier lifestyle, McDonalds is still on top.
Hey! everyone my teacher is requiring the class to post at least one blog a week -_-.
Here's my take on the most recent topic he wishes us to blog about. Hope you enjoy
Google analytics is a tool aimed at marketers created for marketing purposes. Google analytics allows users to track the amount of views a page receives and what type of individuals frequent that page. PRETTY COOL Right? All of this information is retrieved using search engines, pdf documents. pay-per-click networks, email marketing and display advertising. through the use of these forums "when a user clicks a link in a web browser, the browser sends a request to the server holding the destination web page. The request includes the referrer field, which says the last page the user was on (the one where he/she clicked the link)." Its CRAZY! how everything individuals do over the Internet is or either can be traced. NO PRIVACY.
Here's the benefit for companies by using Google Analytics marketers are able to determine which ads are performing to their standards and future goal expectations. A companies goals and expectations include knowing the number of sales, knowing the amount of time spent on a specific page, or downloading a particular file with this information businesses know whether to continue investing or stop.
Many companies profit of this tool especially google.. its all about the MULA BABY! It has been reported googled racked up 28 billion dollars off Goggle analytics by integrating Google AdWords and this was in 2010. Imagine what the revenue is now.
ONE THING! that stood out to me is a feature that lets you compare your site's traffic with average data for other similar sites called benchmarking. Meaning if I'm a business with a website and I want to know what my competition is doing I am more than equipped with that knowledge.
According to the Los Angeles Times article, "Calorie counts will be posted alongside images of juicy burgers on McDonald's menu boards nationwide starting next week, much as they have been in California for more than a year." The move will allow customers to make an informed decision on which meal to choose based on the number of calories. McDonald's is leading the way in making this improvement of revealing the number of calories for each food.Other fast food restaurants will soon follow the trend. With the new dimension of information, customers who choose to eat healthily will know which sandwich to eat based on the low calories being shown in the menu. "Menu labeling, which informs patrons that a Big Mac, say, has 550 calories, is already mandated in some cities and states. California began requiring restaurants with 20 or more locations to put calorie counts on menus last year." I think it is a step in the right direction of letting people make better choices.
McDonald's has dedicated a specific team to focus on both Marketing and Advertising. Its seems they have divided this subject into three different categories being Current Promotions, McDonald's Collectors and Happy Meals. Next time you go to McDonald's, keep the information provided in consideration and tell me what you think!
Current Promotions:
It appears that McDonald's is currently focusing on promoting their McCafe portion of their Menu. In my opinion, they are promoting this because of the hot summer we are going through. I would personally drink the Frozen Strawberry Lemonade from noon to the evening and the Frappe Chocolate Chip in the evening or early morning. Many people are comparing the Frappe to the Starbucks Frappuccino. I have had both and they are very similar in taste, size but differ in price. The Frozen Strawberry Lemonade is good and refreshing but its not something I would enjoy in the evening.
McDonald's Collectors:
McDonald's hold many events for customers who collect items from McDonald's like cups, monopoly boards, t-shirts etc. The next convention will be located at Hilton Garden Hotel located in Perrysburg/Toledo, Ohio (6165 Levis Commons Blvd Perrysburg, Ohio) for the dates of May 17th and 18th, 2013
Happy Meals:
McDonald's is adapting to the "Healthier Choice" and what they did was enlisted a team of moms from across the country to help make the Happy Meal better and more nutrients. McDonald's quality and standards are among the highest in the restaurant industry.
Have you ever heard about the Gold Standard? It is the highest quality that McDonald's products can achieve. According to Barbara Booth, McDonald's Director of Sensory Science, "It’s when we put the sensory experience into words. Every single menu item, from our World Famous Fries to the Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait, has a 'taste profile.' That’s basically a description of each of our Menu offerings – how it should look, taste, smell, feel and sound. It’s a combination of an item’s ingredients, its preparation and the equipment used to prepare it – resulting in the Sensory Experience of tasting that food." Booth explains that in order to make the quality of McDonald's products consistent, McDonald's uses a Global Sensory Scoring method. It is a "system we use around the world to make sure our products are up to our high standards." This is the reason why all Big Macs taste the same all around the world. Barbara Booth is also known as being the quality ambassador of McDonald's. She is involved with improving the way food is produced in the United States. Food quality is very important for any restaurant, including McDonald's. Because of Booth's efforts, customers can enjoy the food they buy. The Gold Standard is always a priority for McDonald's. So the next time you buy a hamburger from McDonald's, take comfort in knowing that all that research has been done on making that hamburger for your eating pleasure.
I don't drink much coffee or mocha often, but after looking at McDonald's promotional advertisment on the McCafe Frappe Chocolate Chip, I really feel like buying the drink. The description of the drink is very enticing. The link displays a picture, a brief introduction, and the nutrition facts.I am willing to try it out to see if all the hype is true or not. I have seen a few television commercials on this product. I will give you the Youtube link to it also. I heard that this product is being compared to Starbuck's Frappacino. I've tried that before, so once I try the McCafe, I'll be the judge of which one tastes better.
