McDonald’s has a new weapon in its advertising arsenal — one that is distinct from the TV, print and Web ads for which it is best known. This approach centers on promotions in McDonald’s restaurants — in the drive-through lanes, by the checkout counters and on the windows.
For the first time, nearly all the fast-food chain’s 13,700 U.S. outlets are using the same slick promotional signs — rather than the McJumble of different motifs that executives say have cluttered stores and confused burger fans in the past.
“I try to put myself in the customer’s shoes,” says Marlena Peleo-Lazar, McDonald’s U.S. chief creative officer. “I don’t feel like going in there and having my head spin.”The new promotional strategy echoes steps being taken by other marketers to put more focus on promotions within retail stores, amid rising doubts about traditional marketing techniques such as television advertising. “In-store marketing is a critical component to the success of many businesses, as consumers are increasingly tuning out ads,” Ms. Cacioppo says.Another complication: McDonald’s had to involve its ad-savvy food suppliers, including Campbell Soup Co., which want to use the restaurants to promote their own wares.McDonald’s has abandoned its practice of using highly stylized photographs of food, in favor of photographs that show food just as it might appear on a customer’s tray. “Overstyling food looks unnatural,” says Jim Carlton, an executive creative director at Arc.
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