As the American fast food market becomes increasingly saturated, McDonald’s has been forced to rapidly develop new strategies for branding their product worldwide. Perhaps the single greatest icon of American-driven globalization, McDonald’s initially branded itself to foreign consumers as an unmistakable symbol of American cosmopolitan life. That said, as anti-globalization forces have mounted worldwide, and McDonald’s reach has stretched to every corner of the globe, the corporation has gradually evolved its marketing strategy to increasingly appeal to localized tastes.In “Brand Positioning in Asia, North America, and Europe: The Role of Global Consumer Culture,” Alden, Steenkamp, and Batra identify three catagories of brand positioning: local consumer culture positioning (LCCP), foreign consumer culture positioning (FCCP), and global consumer culture positioning (GCCP). As one might expect LCCP focuses on catering to local taste and preferences (for example, Budweiser positioning itself as the beer of small-town America), whereas FCCP appeals to consumers’ desire to emulate a foreign culture (i.e. Gucci in America). Further, the authors identify the more recent development of GCCP, whereby firms attempt to tap into the modern consumer’s desire to be a part of a constantly evolving ‘global consumer culture.’
When McDonald’s first expanded into foreign markets in the 1970s it for the most part relied on FCCP by positioning itself a symbol America’s high living standards and cosmopolitanism emulated worldwide. However, as Watson points out in “McDonald’s in Hong Kong,” the company quickly learned that it could not survive solely based on its cosmopolitan American appeal. Overtime, McDonald’s has evolved to placate a variety of local interest around the globe. In Hong Kong hamburgers are served at breakfast. In India customers can order a McCurry Pan. In Europe seating and wifi have been added to a number of McDonald’s to distance itself from increasingly negative perceptions about ‘fast food.’
At the same time, the saturation of the American fast food market, and growing opposition to American dominance in globalization have forced McDonald’s to evolve its previous FCCP campaign into a broader GCCP campaign, as Ronald McDonald has gradually given way to “I’m lovin’ it.” The transformation of McDonald’s marketing position has seemed to pay off, as the company has seen consistent growth in global sales since the “I’m lovin’ it” campaign was introduced in Munich, Germany nearly a decade ago. In fact, McDonald currently ranks as the world’s sixth most globalized brand. It seems then that McDonald’s has successfully adopted its international marketing strategy to satisfy the evolving tastes of 21st century consumers, who by all indications appear to be “lovin’ it.”
