MCDONALD’S SENIOR RESTAURANT CASE STUDY
MCDONALD’S SENIOR RESTAURANT CASE STUDY
Lisa Aham’s restaurant case is another example of how managers should analyze their businesses, their competitors and their customer environment to effectively adapt business strategy in carving out a niche that addresses customer perceived value while allowing the business to remain relevant, especially in a highly competitive industry such as the fast food industry. Even without knowing all of the statistical facts involved with this case, once can safely assume that the marketing strategy employed here is an effective one, perhaps one not being offered by rival restaurants. Aham’s ability to identify a target market with seniors, from what one could perceive as a careful assessment of the market that her McDonald’s operates in, and her ability to create a marketing mix such as the $1.99 menu offering and the free coffee perks is certainly an effective differentiation strategy; one which customers have responded to positively as evidenced by the influx of the large crowd that consistently visited the restaurant. Now whether this is good image issue for McDonald’s, it depends largely on the company’s. According to the article, a key part of McDonald’s philosophy is what we see playing out at Aham’s restaurant; Aham’s actions seem to align with key parts of the company philosophies. It could be argued that she certainly has achieved some success in adapting those philosophies and combining them with elements of the marketing mix to help fulfill the overall business objectives and perhaps impacting the business’s bottom line. In practice, the marketing mix in this example is conveyed by the restaurant’s menu offering, the $1.99 meal, being offered at a price that is reasonably affordable, the free coffee refills take the form of the restaurant promotion and the meal products seem readily available to seniors at a convenience, both in place and time. The senior citizen market segment signifies the repeat customers
Lisa Aham’s restaurant case is another example of how managers should analyze their businesses, their competitors and their customer environment to effectively adapt business strategy in carving out a niche that addresses customer perceived value while allowing the business to remain relevant, especially in a highly competitive industry such as the fast food industry. Even without knowing all of the statistical facts involved with this case, once can safely assume that the marketing strategy employed here is an effective one, perhaps one not being offered by rival restaurants. Aham’s ability to identify a target market with seniors, from what one could perceive as a careful assessment of the market that her McDonald’s operates in, and her ability to create a marketing mix such as the $1.99 menu offering and the free coffee perks is certainly an effective differentiation strategy; one which customers have responded to positively as evidenced by the influx of the large crowd that consistently visited the restaurant. Now whether this is good image issue for McDonald’s, it depends largely on the company’s. According to the article, a key part of McDonald’s philosophy is what we see playing out at Aham’s restaurant; Aham’s actions seem to align with key parts of the company philosophies. It could be argued that she certainly has achieved some success in adapting those philosophies and combining them with elements of the marketing mix to help fulfill the overall business objectives and perhaps impacting the business’s bottom line. In practice, the marketing mix in this example is conveyed by the restaurant’s menu offering, the $1.99 meal, being offered at a price that is reasonably affordable, the free coffee refills take the form of the restaurant promotion and the meal products seem readily available to seniors at a convenience, both in place and time. The senior citizen market segment signifies the repeat customers