McDonald’s Ongoing Marketing Challenge
http://ojica.fiu.edu
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McDonald’s Ongoing Marketing Challenge:
Social Perception in India
This case was prepared by Dr. Smita Kulkarni (University of Miami) and Dr. Walfried Lassar (Florida
International University) with assistance from Chandan Sridhar (Florida International University) and
Akhila Venkitachalam (Aditya Birla Centre, London Business School) as a basis for classroom discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation.
Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this case study may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without written permission of the authors.
1
A Story Began……..
It was a busy day at the Mumbai Central Station in India, marked with the usual rush of passengers. A large group of passengers was ready and anxiously awaiting to board their respective trains. Porters in their red uniforms were seen carrying baggage to help the travellers. Food vendors, bookstalls, newspaper sellers... It was a mini marketplace. A family with two kids arrived in an air conditioned car two hours earlier then their scheduled departure. After they entered the train station, the humid weather, the typical odour at the railway station and the crowd made them uncomfortable. With a bored look, the children looked around and suddenly shrieked with joy. Excited, they indicated a sign to their parents. It was the Golden Arch of McDonalds. Smiling, the family entered Ronald’s place,
McDonald’s, for a great time before they boarded the train. They were sure that that the experience would be wonderful like the ones they had during their earlier visits to
McDonald’s at other locations in India and abroad.
In the Indian Railways Food Plaza at Mumbai Central, McDonald’s stood apart from its other competitors. It promised and delivered the customers an entirely different
`▪
McDonald’s Ongoing Marketing Challenge:
Social Perception in India
This case was prepared by Dr. Smita Kulkarni (University of Miami) and Dr. Walfried Lassar (Florida
International University) with assistance from Chandan Sridhar (Florida International University) and
Akhila Venkitachalam (Aditya Birla Centre, London Business School) as a basis for classroom discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation.
Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this case study may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without written permission of the authors.
1
A Story Began……..
It was a busy day at the Mumbai Central Station in India, marked with the usual rush of passengers. A large group of passengers was ready and anxiously awaiting to board their respective trains. Porters in their red uniforms were seen carrying baggage to help the travellers. Food vendors, bookstalls, newspaper sellers... It was a mini marketplace. A family with two kids arrived in an air conditioned car two hours earlier then their scheduled departure. After they entered the train station, the humid weather, the typical odour at the railway station and the crowd made them uncomfortable. With a bored look, the children looked around and suddenly shrieked with joy. Excited, they indicated a sign to their parents. It was the Golden Arch of McDonalds. Smiling, the family entered Ronald’s place,
McDonald’s, for a great time before they boarded the train. They were sure that that the experience would be wonderful like the ones they had during their earlier visits to
McDonald’s at other locations in India and abroad.
In the Indian Railways Food Plaza at Mumbai Central, McDonald’s stood apart from its other competitors. It promised and delivered the customers an entirely different
References: vi Jeanett Jean-Pierre and Hennessey David, Global Marketing Strategies, Biztantra and Houghton Miffin, 2005, page BBC.co.uk (2001), “McDonald’s”, http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A593525 xvi Advertising does help in building brand recall, but advertising alone does not sustain a brand", Brand Speak (2004) The Wisdom of Local Sourcing, http://www.mcdonaldsindia.com/locsour.htm and Pooja Kothari, “Brand-EquityShaking it Up at McDonald’s”, The Economic Times, October 13, 2004. Volume 1, Issue 2 (Jan. 31, 2009) OJICA-Online Journal of International Case Analysis McDonalds India’s Cold Chain (2004), http://www.mcdonaldsindia.com/aboutus/presskit/04%20Cold%20Chain.pdf