Unlike Hertz, which didn’t or couldn’t stop Avis a few years ago from making a credible claim to “try harder” because it was the #2 in the car rental business, McDonald’s seems to be doing a lot of things to prevent whoever is the fast food business’ #2 (KFC? Burger King? Pizza Hut?) from doing an Avis on it.
With its trademark arch, its outlets are visible from far away. In the US, UK and Germany, where tall structures are commonplace, there are any number of examples I can cite. But, even in India, with its relative scarcity of tall signs, I can quote the example of the McDonald’s restaurant in the food mall on the Bombay-Pune Expressway where its arch is clearly visible from far away as you drive towards Bombay / Mumbai.- It provides the best roadside directions to reach its outlets. The outlet at the end of the Bombay-Pune Expressway on the right hand side as you approach Bombay / Mumbai is an excellent example of detailed signage in a place that’s just realizing the need to assist motorists with prominent signs.
- Its ketchup satchets have the best quality perforation – you can tear them with your fingers, even when they’re wet.
- On the back of the 26/11 terror attacks in Bombay / Mumbai last year, all malls in India instituted tight security measures on people, goods and vehicles entering their premises. This has led to body frisking and inspection of your bags, not to mention long queues of cars waiting to be checked at the gate. Considering what happened last year, these steps might be understandable, but there’s no denying that they’ve added considerable friction to an everday shopping experience. McDonald’s seems to have realized this and is doing something about it. At least in three malls that I’ve noticed – Mariplex Mall in Pune, Hub Mall in Goregaon (East) in Bombay / Mumbai and another mall in Chinchwad (Pune) whose name I don’t recall – McDonald’s is the ONLY outlet you can enter without going through the security barrier.
I’m sure that there are skeptics who might be thinking that McDonald’s is generating more business for itself by “trying hard”. However, the point is, by making sure that it’s delivering a superior customer experience along the way, McDonald’s is being true to the principles of MARKETING 101.
And, as the following anectdote will illustrate, its efforts even work on a three-year old.
By the time she was a three year old toddler, my daughter had already fallen hook-line-and-sinker for McDonald’s – for its burgers, fries and milkshakes and not for its marketing, I’m sure! – and would never pass by a McDonald’s restaurant without stepping in. We used to be living in Germany those days and there’s this leading department store in Frankfurt that has a McDonald’s outlet on the third floor (it’s the C&A outside Konstablerwache railway station, for those of you familiar with Frankfurt). One day, when we’d gone shopping for clothes at this C&A, we stumbled on to the third floor. Since my daughter wasn’t keeping well that day, my wife and I wanted to keep her away from the McDonald’s restaurant and therefore hurriedly tugged her away before she realized there was one right there. Alas, we were no match for McDonald’s legendary arch, which my daughter spotted at just the nick of time. Well, I don’t have to say what happened next!