The price of love

After five years of friendship, McDonald’s customers are now being urged to take the next step and fall in love.

"We see the McDonald’s brand as part of a journey in every person’s life," said Golden Arches Development Corp. vice-president for marketing Leila Hernandez. "We regularly ask our customers what and how they feel when they are inside our stores. Five years ago, our customers said they felt they were with good friends. That became the basis of our ‘Kita kits sa McDo’ campaign. Last year, our customers said they felt they were now part of the family. We used that survey finding to anchor the ‘Love ko ‘to’ campaign, which we launched last September."

Conceptualized by Hemisphere Leo Burnett, "Love ko ‘to" uses real people in both ordinary situations and magical moments.

"We have received many positive letters from customers who relate to the simple but real Filipino scenarios," said public relations and communications manager Zonito Torrevillas.

Beyond the ongoing advertising campaign that markets McDonald’s as a lifestyle brand are the basic and unchanged message of food quality, service, and cleanliness.

"The campaign has certainly enhanced our internal culture," said Hernandez.

"For our customers to feel like a part of the McDonald’s family, it is no longer enough for our crew members to just be happy around people. Our customers demand and deserve both warm and personalized service."

McDonald’s basic message is not lost on other service industries. Since last November, 150 taxis have carried the famous golden arches on their roofs while 30 buses have carried the logo on their sides.

"For many would-be passengers, seeing the McDonald’s logo is like a seal of good housekeeping. They expect these public vehicles to be clean; they expect the drivers to be polite and to drive safely. And these public vehicles have delivered," said Torrevillas.

What Customers Want

Positioned as the neighborhood family restaurant chain which just happens to be owned by an American company, Golden Arches is building its business on what its customers want rather than on what its competitors are doing.

Currently being piloted at the Uniwide Coastal Road outlet is the Club McDonald’s, a first in the Asia-Pacific region where mother-child activities are made available with the purchase of a Happy Meal.

Five of the chain’s 240 outlets nationwide to date have also been renovated to include a distinct McCafe within its premises. The coffee and pastry place, which started in Australia nine years ago and has since spread to Europe and Asia, capitalizes on the Filipino appetite for coffee even as it aims to broaden McDonald’s customer base.

On the average, Golden Arches has put up 30 stores a year. At an estimated cost of P25 million a store (or the cost of a franchise), that adds up to an investment per year of at least P750 million.

Right now, only 30% of the total stores are operated by franchisees compared to 80% worldwide. That is expected to change as Golden Arches becomes more aggressive in linking up with local partners. A necessary step towards reaching that goal, however, is getting the message across that McDonald’s is a relevant brand that Filipino families will continue to patronize in the years to come.