By Alejandra Leon
When Ray Kroc took over a restaurant business from the McDonald brothers, he realized that kids were his target market.
No sooner had Kroc acquired the company than Ronald McDonald the clown was brought in to attract children to his restaurants. His insight would result in the creation of a billion dollar empire.
Kroc’s genius is that he understood his audience and identified the two main segments that would drive his business: working- and middle-class children and their parents.
The company has come a long way since the days of Ray Kroc. The global fast food giant has grown immensely over the decades thanks in part to its unique targeting ability and innovative implementation tactics.
An example of this was the launch in 1979 of Happy Meal in the United States. The meal-plus-toy packaging was an instant hit that became an American icon and still accounts for a large percentage of all McDonald’s meals sold today.
Following an IMC approach, McDonald's has gotten to know its customers and has built its advertising strategy around it. The company knows that by targeting families, it’s tapping into one of the most attractive consumer groups. As marketing and brand strategist Martin Lindstrom states: “It gets into the parents' wallets via the kids' minds.”
Though very effective, McSegmentation has become the focus of controversy regarding the company’s targeting efforts. The fact that children play such an important role in the purchasing decision has raised many questions concerning the ethical repercussions and regulations of targeting and advertising to children.
There are several reasons why McDonald’s is the number one fast food restaurant in the world, and as stated above, a very important one has been its ability to understand its customers, segment them and reach the heart of its targets. Whether the company should or shouldn’t be allowed to continue pursuing children is still up for debate.
Should children be the main consumer target for companies?
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Alejandra Leon is a blogger at Vitamin IMC and a student in the Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications program at Northwestern University's Medill School. She isn't ashamed to admit that she finds comfort in a McNuggets meal to brighten a hard day. Alejandra can be reached at alejandraleon2010@u.northwestern.edu.
