Marketing in the News

While I was scrolling through the articles in marketingweek.com one headline caught my eye. McDonald’s launches loyalty scheme that rewards customers with Big Macs. This headline made me think of the night before when I ate two Big Macs and not one of them rewarded to me. As I read through the article I quickly found out why; the loyalty program was only launched in the UK. The program gives out 100 points for every euro you spend. Points can be converted into food prizes or can be converted into a cash donation to BBC's Children in Need. The lowest amount of points you can spend on food is 1500 which can be traded for a mini Mcflurry, a small side of fries and other various small items. The prizes get bigger the more points you have over 1500 until you get to 4000 when you can finally get a Big Mac. If you choose to, you can trade in your points at any amount and McDonalds will match the value of points as a cash donation to Children in Need. This is the first major campaign to be launched by the new UK CMO Michelle Graham-Clare, who took the role in August last year.

This marketing decision adds a twist for charity to a very well known and overused loyalty system. I do think the ability to donate points is a really good idea and will actually provide a lot for BBC's charity, but it is not very creative as it is very common in every business to have this points reward system. I think this loyalty program will attract those who like to save as much money as possible and those who like to earn points and like to feel rewarded every time they visit. The goal of the loyalty system is to raise more donations for their new brand platform know as "Change a Little, Change a Lot." This campaign is showing the positive affects of McDonalds fundraisers on youth, farming, and waste. The challenge this loyalty program is trying to overcome is providing enough donations to hold themselves true to their brand platform and create better public relations. 

I think the loyalty program is not very unique but it is still a good idea. The ability to donate to charity without spending any of your own money will appeal to a lot of people and will potential raise a lot of money for children in need. I think if I was in charge, the donation size would depend on how many pickles were ordered. For every pickle slice sold, whether it be on a burger or separately McDonald's would donate like 10 cents. 

McDonald's value proposition was written by their founder Ken Croc, where he said, "McDonald's stands for friendliness, cleanliness, consistency, and convenience." I am not really sure about the first 3, but McDonald's is definitely convenient and is well know for that and their affordable food.

I found myself learning from McDonald's loyalty program that you can look to other successful marketing ideas when coming up with one for your business. As long as you make the marketing idea your own and you believe it will improve business, the idea will most likely be just as successful. 

Article Link: https://www.marketingweek.com/mcdonalds-loyalty-scheme/

Relevant Link: https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us.html