I was at a Macdonalds. It's not a happy place (despite the happy meals).
The staff in the place we were in were in a state of turmoil and panic. Stress levels appeared high.
It's unlikely that creative team was going home happy each night.
Just as importantly, I'm not sure many customers would be.
And I wonder if the cause is too much choice.
Macdonalds is always adding new stuff to the menu. New stuff that's rarely available at the moment you want it, resulting in your meal experience being somewhat... disrupted (here's your chips, now go and sit down while we cook the rest of your meal...?!). The wide range of choice means they do the jack-of-all-trades thing. Sounds a bit like mass media don't it?
Few people leave delighted. I share my bleak experiences of Macdonalds - you are less inclined to visit etc etc etc
So I thought, if Macdonalds just concentrated on (and became known for) being the best value, fast burger-chips-and-a- coke joint on the planet maybe everyone would get what they wanted, enjoy it, enjoy the experience, and tell their friends. Instead of trying to do everything, perhaps they should concentrate on doing one thing, brilliantly.
Very often media companies try to deliver 'everything' when they build a website. It's a habit brought with us from the stapled-together print world.
Rather, we should approach the networked world with a series of 'brilliant' services. If one of those is the content you create - great, but allow the user to disaggregate as they choose and reassemble to their own liking and take it where they want it to go (we are no longer the distributors).
It's like shopping. We keep building supermarkets, trying to make sure we stock everything.
Supermarkets work in the 'real world' because there is a travel and inconvenience issue (and granted, price too) in going to a range of specialist shops.
The web has one huge advantage over the real world in this respect - there is zero distance between all locations (which even has implications for the price thing too)
Now, how would you prefer to do your shopping?
The further ahead you look - the faster you go | davidpcushman AT gmail.com | These are my views and my views only.
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The rate of change is so rapid it's difficult for one person to keep up to speed. Let's pool our thoughts, share our reactions and, who knows, even reach some shared conclusions worth arriving at?
Seth Godin spoke about this at one of our recent SES events.
ReplyDeleteThe main thrust of his argument was that marketers & product managers in many organisations exist to launch and sell you 'more stuff' - brand extensions or new ranges.
Seth felt that instead they should concentrate on continually refining and improving the great products they are already successful with.
The McDonalds analogy is spot on. Stick to what you are 'good' at. If I want a healthy salad there are other places to go.
Great quote from Seth in his presentation.
"There are 2 types of people in this world. Those who want an MP3 player and those who don't. If you want one you buy and iPod; if you don't you're not going to buy a Zune..."
Thanks for commenting Rory.
ReplyDeleteNext time you line up Seth, give me a shout!
Meanwhile in the real world, with real consumers spending real money McDonald's sell more and more salads and less and less burgers (see their latest results).
ReplyDeleteProvide choice, make the choice relevant to what people want and true to your brand (quality, service, cleanliness, value in McD's language) and you'll do well.
Otherwise (to follow your argument along) wouldn't media owners like EMAP only forever stay in the published word business?
Hi Brian, I do take your point. But perhaps mcd's is selling less burgers now because they represent less of the menu in % terms.
ReplyDeleteIf they perfected burgers perhaps they'd sell more of them than all the rest of the not-quite-as-good stuff they offer put together?
I think its worth considering the idea of 'perfecting what you are good at' in terms of business plans rather than companies.
So, for example, it would be wise for McD's to see if it can make a healthy, quality, service, cleanliness model stack up and launch that as a separate and evolving business plan (with its own brand and restaurants if necc).
And this would also apply to emap (now Bauer).
I'm not 100% sold on this 'in the real world' but I do think things change when you factor in the zero-distance between people and objects in the digital one.
And thank you for joining the conversation. Every interaction helps me give shape to my thoughts and I'm truly grateful for that.
Hi Brian,
ReplyDeleteMy point was not that companies shouldn't launch brand extensions or develop their portfolio but rather that they should stay true to their core business. McDonalds is a fast food hamburger and fries joint. Do that well; produce a great product; maintain a consistent marketing message; innovate and delight your customers & you will do well.
The parallel I would point to in the media world is the Economist. When asked to highlight her thoughts about why the Economist had been such a success story, Helen Alexander pointed to a long-term and consistent investment in both product and marketing.
In the short term McDonalds might replace some lost burger sales with salads but what is the brand & how robust is it?