McDonald's maximizes marketing to supercharge growth

McDonald’s, the global fast food brand, has boosted its focus on marketing excellence as it seeks to capitalize on an influx of inflation-weary consumers looking to treat themselves. 

“McDonald's is one of the world's greatest brands. In the last year, we've unlocked even more ways to elevate our marketing through creative excellence,” said president and CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski on its Q4 2022 earnings call.

“Our scalable insights are helping us tap into our fans’ love for McDonald's and create culturally relevant campaigns that resonate across markets and drive growth,” he added. 

By the numbers

• Full-year comp sales growth of 10.9%.
• Strong guest count performance with 5% growth globally.
• Almost 50 million active users of the McDonald’s loyalty program across its top six markets.
• Plans to open approximately 1,900 restaurants in the new financial year.

Focusing on core products and pricing 

Amid a fast-food category awash with flash-in-the-pan products or marketing stunts, McDonald’s is doubling down on the success of its popular core products. Ten of its menu items – including French Fries, Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets and McFlurry – are ‘billion dollar’ brands in their own right, Kempczinski revealed. But challenges remain as inflation remains stubborn. 

“In this environment, we must maintain our disciplined approach to pricing. We need to balance passing through our pricing on our menus while maintaining our strong position on value with our customers,” Kempczinski said.

Reaping the benefits of digitalisation

By Q4 2022, digital sales represented over 35% of system-wide sales in the company’s top six markets. In 2022, the McDonald's app was downloaded over 40 million times in the U.S., greater than the total downloads of the second, third and fourth brands combined. 

“Through our focus on digital, we are transforming from a brand that serves billions and billions all the same way to one that serves each of our billions of customers uniquely as individuals with customized products, offers, and experiences,” Kempczinski said.

[Image: McDonald's]