Menu

Menu

Menus allow the customer to see the prices of McDonald’s products. Menus also have some amazing pictures of the products that are available. The pictures are deliberately there to attract customers. This sometimes leads to tempting the customers to buy the product. Staff need to be very careful before putting out the menu on the display. They have to make sure that the prices are 100% correct. This is because customers will be upset if the wrong prices are put up as display. This is also gives a bad impression to the company and it may force the customer from not coming to McDonalds ever again. Staff have to be very cautious otherwise they may receive lots of complaint and they may end up getting fired. 

In addition, staff should make sure that the menu has a list of options for customers to choose from. The menu has to be organised, i.e. it has broken down into categories depending on the time of the day. This will make it easier for the customers to pick the products they want to buy.

Now days, Non English Speakers can just point to large pictures of meals to their food. This is very convenient for them because they difficulty in speaking English Language. In my opinion, I think this indeed meets the needs of customers.

Research Methods

Research Methods

Restaurant Location
Normally McDonalds is located everywhere near customers for greater convenience so that they can visit the restaurant whenever they desire to. Before locating a restaurant they research an area to target specific groups of customers. First, they research on the majority of customers in an area. For example there might be more kids and adults in an area. Therefore they develop a ‘Play-Area’ with different coloured seating which is an incentive to encourage kids and attract families.

However, if there were more teenagers in a particular area rather than kids then perhaps McDonalds will decide to build an Internet Café where teenagers may come along and cheerfully surf though the net. Furthermore, if there is no parking, McDonalds will decide to construct a car park or a Drive-Thru.

Breakfast Menu
In the mornings, McDonalds strive to have different meals and that is why they have introduced a Breakfast Menu. There are six different meals options to choose from which business customers had decided upon. This includes six OatSo Simple Porridges, bagels, fruit toast, muffins (both low fat) and Coffee.   

The Breakfast Menu has been introduced all across the UK as it’s more convenient for customers to grab something to eat in the morning on the move. Research by McDonalds shows people who work in mornings these days look for Breakfast. The Breakfast Menu now is very popular and well-liked by most customers. As a result, this goes to show what valuable steps and milestones McDonalds has included through target marketing and research.

There are major brand names on the Breakfast Menu e.g. Kenco Coffee, OatSo Simple and Tropicana Juice. Famous brand names catch customers’ eye as they have an idea of how good the products are made by that specific brand. A research showed Kenco Coffee was liked by two thirds of customers. In addition, the famous breakfast OatSo Simple had made its debut on the menu as it was UK’s leading breakfast. On the other hand, Tropicana also joined Breakfast Menu since it was seen as the most popular brand among customers. 

McDonalds are constantly launching new ranges of meals in the Breakfast Menu so customers can have a wider choice.

Mum’s Panel
Recently McDonalds have held a panel of ten selected mums from all over the UK to advice the restaurant on the menu and meal combination. This panel meets regularly to suggest which menu is best suited from children. They also suggest ways to help kids eat healthily and to enjoy it.

MCFLURRY LIDS       
McDonalds have researched and developed a new packaging for McFlurry Lids. McDonalds have designed and developed smaller gaps for McFlurry. This is to stop Hedgehogs from getting in the container when people litter the lids.

Additionally, McDonalds display anti-littering note to stop people from littering, this is designed to keep the environment clean. McDonalds do this to promote their publicity and this goes to show that they very much care about the society and the environment.      
 

SWOT Analysis

Strength   Easy access to the restaurant to make it convenient for customers. Drive-Thru to offer a quick service for customers. Play-Area to keep children happy. Internet Café for teenagers to surf through the net. Cheap offerings for customers to afford. Healthy Eating joins the menu to reduce obesity due to the fat content and calories McDonalds have launched a Healthy Eating Option containing low fat and calories. Yummy products! Clean Toilets

Weakness     Usually McDonalds is packed and there might be no space for other customers to sit and eat Long queues can be very time-consuming Some products are sort of expensive Their foods seem to have a lot of fat and calories

Opportunity  New restaurants being built New products joining the menu More special offers to attract customers There is internet access for people There are lots of computers and play areas in McDonalds McDonalds have been adding lots of products in their menu They can add healthier food in the menu

Threat  Rival Organisations like Burger King, Nando’s, Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizzas, Subway, KFC or even Kebab shops are a major threat Customers blaming on the food as obesity is increasing

Promotional Techniques

                                                                                               
Assess the range of promotional techniques the organization uses, including research methods used to identify target market.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
Advertising:
Assess all the techniques McDonalds uses. I may need to do some research on their website.

In my opinion, McDonalds attaches great importance on advertising it’s product for which it uses the medium with maximum reach and appeal. Medium is the technique in which the advertising information is presented to the customers. There are many ways in which McDonalds use the medium, this includes:
* Radio
* Cinema
* Newspapers
* Magazines
* Billboards
* Television (both global and satellite)
* Teletext (the information service on commercial television)

This is why it spends 34million pounds of the total 43 million pounds on T.V. adds.  It is followed by £4.7m outdoors and about £2.9m on radio publicity. Only 36 thousand pounds are spent on newspaper. This piece of promotion attracts customers in an effective way and keeps the restaurant obtainable. This is why McDonalds is worldwide because of their successful promotional techniques. The most effective technique that requires the most money as said is the T.V. because they target different customers at different times. For example, they advertise children at a certain time, probably from 6am to 10am. McDonalds also make use of the cinema to attract customers and sell products effectively. This publishes their name in the credits.

Direct Marketing
McDonald’s draws importance to reaching those customers who are most possibly most interested in their products. This involves distributing or giving promotional material directly through post, in excess of the telephone, or through voucher system or even door to door. For this reason, McDonalds try to appear in all events, occasion that catch the attention of boys and girls. This is an incentive to encourage customers to buy their latest product. McDonalds have the advantage to target those customers who are keen and are mostly paying attention in specific products on offer. For instance, McDonalds may mail out a letter regarding about a forthcoming product to keen and enthusiastic customers.     

Public Relations   
McDonalds try to boost an image as if it is the most preferred fast food chain among all. McDonalds also tries to give ideas to Newspapers, radio, television etc to get favorable coverage or its positives highlighted. They also use press releases for this purpose. McDonalds achieve the general aim, which is to get good publicity. As a result of this McDonalds are to be well known. New healthier meals and public relation campaigns by McDonalds e.g. RMHC (Ronald McDonald Health Care) are paying off. These attempts improve McDonald’s image and increase sales. McDonalds have been trying to improve its image in recent years, after a number of people blamed its food after they became overweight.

McDonalds have been environmental ‘friendly’ by dealing with environmental issues in recent years to get good publicity and gain their reputation. They take the responsibility to protect and to keep the environment safe. They do this by collecting litter to reduce the environmental impact. They have also supported the community by focusing on families and providing them the aid and help to meet their needs. They have done a lot good work in the recent years for example the RMHC (Ronald McDonald Health Care). A place where McDonalds establish accommodation and support families with children in hospital. The families have a place to rest, away from the atmosphere of a hospital. It is also a place where children who are receiving outpatient treatment are able to spend time with their families. This very successfully boosts their public relations and gives the right impression to people about the restaurant.  

McDonalds have in addition improved their packaging material to make progress on their environmental performances. McDonalds have changed their packaging from to further environmental ‘friendly’ reusable alternatives. 

Display
McDonalds make use of displays to announce new offers. For this purpose, posters are put on the board or on windows to attract customers. Big chart size, posters are displayed on ‘inside walls’ to inform the customers what they can buy McDonalds. McDonalds also use table stands as a promotional technique by displaying meals and desserts. Some of the displays in McDonalds also inform customers about forthcoming events. Such displays are called ‘point of sales displays’.      

Sponsors
On the occasions of major sporting, cultural events, holiday seasons, special days etc McDonalds sponsor by giving financial support in exchange of their name being mentioned with the product. McDonalds have recently sponsored Walt Disney to get good publicity. Currently McDonalds are giving out free tickets to football matches in their happy meal boxes. As a result, in this case the match is being advertised through McDonalds’ Happy Meal box and McDonalds are being advertised all around the pitch in the stadium.  

Web
McDonalds can now promote their products through Internet. The website provides all the product information. McDonalds use all mediums to publicize their brand, product and service therefore it makes a very active use of internet.

Visiting the website, McDonalds have operated its web for every country. That means every country has its own website with multiple links. UK McDonalds’ website has links to healthy eating or healthy foods, active living, kids’ zone, Toasted Deli Sandwiches, their good works and Contact Us. In recent year, in UK Salad Bars and healthy meals of 5 portions are being popularized.

There website in Canada has nutrition meter also known as a nutrition calculator. The idea of this is to raise awareness about the nutritional value of the products purchased by the customers.

Sales PromotionAt times, McDonalds offers incentives to encourage customers to buy product on discounts, reduced prices, money-off vouchers, free samples, loyalty schemes or win rewards in form of extra quantity items. All this comes under Sales Promotion.

by Naveed Abbas

The 4Ps

Describe the 4P’s in relation to the selected organisation and show how they work together to meet the organisation’s objectives.

 

Product:

 

 McDonalds is not just about what they sell. The product is all about what the company spends its money on. McDonald spends their money on their own brand to uphold food standards, so people can identify and demand their brand wherever they go. They mainly concentrate on food to attract customers and make them buy meals. One of the most widely used examples is the ‘Happy Meal’ targeted on children offering food, soft drink and a free toy. Happy Meal has been a big hit and is most known product in McDonald. It is based on attracting children to develop children’s meal products that would promote McDonalds as a restaurant for families, specifically those with smaller children.

 McDonald’s has recently introduced a “healthy option” to the Happy Meal – children can now choose to have milk or a fruit juice drink instead of a soft drink, and bags of dried fruit (or a whole piece of fruit such as an apple, or carrot sticks) in place of fries. To make the trademark internationally recognizable, McDonald’s now uses the term “Happy Meal” in most countries. When customers purchase food from McDonald’s, the money goes towards the training staff to get faster service. The customer service is used for quick delivery.

 Keeping the restaurant and the environment clean and providing the customer the satisfaction for the money he/she spends. Another product is ‘Birthday-Party’ where once the product is purchased they will receive a ‘Party-Pack’ containing welcome letter, confirmation sheet with all the details of when and where the party is going to be held, 15 invitations with envelopes, food order pad to help customers pre-organise the children’s food, every child will get to choose their meal from the selection of a Hamburger, a Cheeseburger, 4 Chicken McNuggets, 2 chicken Selects or 3 Fish Fingers, with small fries or a Fruit Bag and small drink etc.

Children can also use the play area; this allows families to keep their children happy. Children can jump around, go on slides and have great fun. A regular feature of the play area is the McDonald’s clown ‘Ronald McDonalds’. Little children also have the advantage to sit on coloured small sized seats and table; this is really suitable for children who enjoy eating and having fun.   

 The seating area in all McDonalds encourages groups of friends or families to have a quick meal together. Students, young shoppers or families find it convenient to stop by McDonalds and have some fast-food.

Another product is the Drive-Thru. The drive-thru counter offers customers a quick service to buy snacks while they are behind the steering wheel. This service suits the drivers because it is convenient. The money customers spend on McDonald’s products can be modified to satisfy customers’ needs and wants.  

 

Place

 

 McDonald’s is located where people can easily find it. Usually it is in retail centre near supermarkets, sport centres, shopping malls or even hospitals where customers can regularly access fast food. Usually their restaurant is conveniently located by private or public transport with good car parking space.

Price

 

 McDonald’s try to give full value for its price. It makes special offers to attract customers; McDonalds at times do give out free cinema tickets so more profit is made to the restaurant. The prices are usually within the range for young buyers such as teenagers from secondary school or college. Many items have standard prices. McDonalds has a clear idea how to set the price of the product they market. The price gives an incentive to encourage more people to buy products. Each of the items would be charged individually, it would be more expensive. They have meal deals to keep prices down. Prices are also directly related to the size of the burger ranging from small to medium to large. At times there are saving schemes such as the Pound Saver Menu. This is an incentive to encourage students who usually have limited amount of money to spend.    

 

 

Promotion

 

 McDonald’s have big budget to advertise and promote its product. They advertise it in numerous ways like on TV, magazines or even in banners in football matches or any sporting event. They also attract numerous customers – this is done by putting add-ons with a basic burger to include a drink, desert or salad or even toys. Sometimes they join hand with other companies e.g. Walt Disney to attract wider mass of customers. They do this for promotional purposes. McDonald’s market their own products depending on the seasons especially when occasions are taking place e.g. World Cup football. Usually McDonalds spend on maintaining and boosting the quality through good service. They try to get the best location possible to the maximum numbers of customers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

     

 

   

McDonalds Objectives and Marketing Mixes

 

McDonalds Objectives.

1. McDonald’s vision is to be the UK’s best quick service restaurants experience.

2. McDonalds is committed to maintaining and developing the best food products in the quick service restaurant market.

3.  In order to deliver this, the company has made a number of commitments to food safety and nutrition.

 

Marketing Mix

 A marketing mix for ‘Birthday party’

The product is a ‘Birthday party’

The price £4.99 per person

The promotion is a poster in the restaurant

The place must have a play-area.

 

If it was not for the promotion the product would NOT sell.

The place is important because the ‘Birthday party’ products need a play area to be a fun experience.

The price is low because it’ll attract customers to buy the product. This product is also good value for money.

The promotion is also on the McDonalds to sell this product.

 

This links to objective one because they mention a restaurant experience.

 

Marketing Mix for Membership

 

The Product is a membership of McDonalds

The place is in McDonalds

The price is whether you get a family meal

The promotion is the poster outside stuck on McDonalds 

 

The product is year’s membership. This product sells because there is family which is the price – special price.

The customers know it because of the promotion. The place is common as it is nearby.

This links with objective 1 as they mention “UK’s best quick service restaurants experience”.

 

 

Marketing Mix for Happy Meal box (Chicken Little)

 

The product is the Happy Meal box sponsoring Chicken Little and giving away free child tickets.

The price is £1.99; this is a highly reasonable price. Customers will be willing to pay.

The place is the McDonald play-area as it provides a lot of fun to children

The promotion is the TV, they advertise effectively to attract customers.

 

The product is film Chicken Little which is sponsored by McDonalds. The product, promotion and the price are linked together because the box consists of free child ticket on every happy meal box. The place needs to be nearby.

 

This links objective 1 as the statement mentions “UK’s best quick service restaurants experience.” All these factors are inter-related complementary. These promotions also express high-importance to brand. 

 

Marketing Mix for a ‘Drive-Thru’

The product is the drive-thru

The price is free as it is made to make it easier for customers

The promotion is the sign on the post next to McDonalds

The place is visibly at McDonalds

 

If it was not for the sign on the post at the front of the restaurant which is the promotion then ‘Drive-Thru’ product would not be used. The place has to be located in a large area of land where it can attract mass customers. There will be need for enough space for car parks at McDonalds. Finally, the price is free. This is an incentive to encourage customers to use the product repeatedly.

 

This links with objective 1 as it mentions “UK’s best quick service restaurants experience.”

 

Marketing mix for ‘Play-Area’.

The product is the ‘Play-Area’.

The price is free.

The promotion is the poster in the restaurant.

The place is at McDonalds.

 

If it was not for the promotion then no one would buy the product. Play-Area is mainly designed for children and it also serves as a major attraction for children. They have interesting toys to play with and the clown toys. So when they feel hungry or thirsty there is plenty to choose from. The price is absolutely free; this encourages customers to come to the restaurant. The place must have a Play-Area and that is in Norbury.

 

This links with objective 1 as the statement mentions being the best restaurant experience.   

 

Marketing Mix for McDonalds (Kitchen Tour)

The product is the kitchen tour.

The price is free.

The promotion is the adverts on the T.V.

The place is McDonalds

 

If it was not for the promotion no one would have known about the product. The place is in McDonalds and the price is free to take the tours. This is an incentive to encourage people visit the restaurant repeatedly.

 

The links to objective 3 as it represents that they are committed to food safety.

 

Marketing Mix for salads.

The product is the salad

The price is £2.49

The promotion is the adverts on the T.V. and on the McDonalds website.

The place is McDonalds.

 

If the product was not promoted effectively then people would not purchase the organisation’s goods. McDonalds plan to attract young men and women, families and students through different schemes. The option of salad bar is good for parents who like to accompany their children to McDonalds but don’t want the burger.  The place is in McDonalds and the price is £2.49. The promotion also encourages people to buy the product because people want to eat healthily at McDonalds where they have also some added nutrition features to convey the message that it also has some healthy components on offer.

Incredible Hulk, Review.

By Naveed Abbas

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Plot 

 

 Incredible Hulk is an amazing film. It has some good cliff-hangers, leaving the viewers in suspense. It’s about a guy called Bruce Banner who turns into a humongous green monster named Hulk every time he gets angry. Bruce Banner hunts to cure this problem. This poses a problem because the military want to capture and use Hulk as a weapon due to their failures in the recent years.

A dodgy soldier named Emily Blonsky is desperate to catch Hulk. He wants to face him on equal terms and this is where things start going all wrong.

Best bit

The best bit is when a Hulk-like creature fights The Hulk. It’s full of action with awesome GFX. I also like when Hulk tears the car into two pieces and uses the pieces as boxing gloves. The fights are action-packed and are set at a fast pace.

Another fun bit is when we really see Hulk for the first time at the University. He smashes all the tanks, the bullet bounce off him and missiles make him really angry. To be honest, in this film you’re just waiting to see Hulk get angry. The director cleverly builds up suspense and tension to keep us at the edge of our seats. It then fulfils our expectations by expressing Hulk in an explosive manner.

There are hardly any weak bits. It’s all pretty good. Maybe, it starts off a bit slow, but the rest is just too cool to watch.

I feel the director tries to represent Hulk in the ‘ugliest’ way possible. The director shows how angry Hulk can get smashing cars, in fact anything.
 
However, Louis Leterrier sympathises with Hulk – making us feel sorry for the character. Hulk is a monster who doesn’t want to be the way he is – therefore he hunts for the cure. The military want him for wrong purposes and Hulk wants to get out of this trouble.    

The GFX, the action and Hulk itself makes the movie different from all other ones out there. It’s story is good but the way Louis Leterrier represents it to us is what makes it stand out. If you’re a teenager then I advise you to watch this film.

 

 

 

The film was released at the right time (very clever, that is) to make sure it attracts kids especially at the summer break. At the summer break, teens are free and that is when they plan to watch films. 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Overall, the film is about the right length and its full excitement. If you’re a teenager then you will like to see it – just make sure your heart rate doesn’t go too fast. The fight scenes are immense and the GFX (graphics) are ‘incredible’ just as Hulk. The film is a complete hit. Incredible Hulk promises a lot and a sequel is hoped to be made in near future.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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