Introduction to McDonald's Essentials

MARKETING ESSENTIALS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
1. Introduction of the marketing concept, its current and future trends ................................1
2. Different marketing processes............................................................................................3
3. Roles and responsibilities of marketing manager...............................................................3
4. Interrelationship of marketing function with other organisation's functions.....................4
5. Value and Importance of marketing role in McDonald's...................................................5
6. Conclusion of significance of marketing having effective interrelationships with other
functional departments...........................................................................................................5
7. Comparing ways in which McDonald's apply marketing mix in planning process...........6
8. Preparing and evaluating a marketing plan for McDonald's............................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................16

INTRODUCTION
Marketing can be termed as the efforts made by an organisation for creating awareness
about its products and services available in market with the motive of attracting people and
boosting sales (Baker and Saren, 2016). The present assignment will cover the basic
characteristics of marketing and its responsibilities in the McDonald's, a fast food giant founded
in 1940 headquartered in Chicago, United States. It will show how marketing function is
interrelated with other functions in the company, what importance marketing holds in
organisation, an overview of different marketing processes. Further, the report will highlight
how McDonald's applies its marketing mix for effectively its business objectives.
MAIN BODY
1. Introduction of the marketing concept, its current and future trends
Marketing can be defined as the activities undertaken by an organisation for promoting
and selling its goods and services in the market. The market concept states that McDonald's must
understand the requirements of its target customers and then formulate strategies for meeting
those needs and requirements. This includes comprehensive market research and then detailed
market planning for promoting and selling its food products in the global markets (Baker, 2016).
There are different marketing concepts that are discussed below:
Production concept: This concept believes that customers prefers easily accessible and
lower priced products. Organizations follows this concept by taking production at large scale.
Mcdonald's is employing use of latest technology in its production process for making more
effective and has supported the firm in managing transparent kitchen process.
Product concept: This concept states that people prefers the products that have supreme
quality and distinctive features. Organizations like McDonald's believes in concept and tries to
make its food products highly differentiated from its rivals in terms of taste and quality.
However, the risk involved in this concept is that firms focusing too much on quality of those
products that are not even in customer's preference list. Thus, for managing with product concept
of marketing the firm has incorporated use of current trends that is AI or chat bot for managing
better customer support services and meeting customer expectation.
Selling concept: The selling concept is based on idea that company sells whatever it has
produced without considering customer's demands. A firm under this concept chooses to
increase its sales rather than creating healthy long-term customer relationships.
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McDonald’s needs to focus on market demands and focus on creating long term
customer relationships rather than creating one-time sales. It can replace its 4P's of marketing
mix by 4Es which are emotions, engagement, experience and exclusivity. These are the future
marketing trends which will support robust growth in sales of firm.
Illustration 1: 4Es of marketing
(Source: 9 Thoughts About the Future of Marketing, 2019)
Marketing concept: Under this concept, customer is put at the focal point. The
organization's prime concern is consumer’s needs, desires and how this could be satisfied. The
concept runs on the idea that developing products and services that are able to meets the
requirements and specifications of target audience.
`The current trend of achieving maximum customer satisfaction could be done by
understanding target audience and producing products what they want. For example,
McDonald's can make its online distribution channel, social media advertising and
communication which helps the business sin managing regular interaction with shoppers (Ashley
and Tuten, 2015).
Societal marketing concept: The societal concept is another concept of marketing
which states that organization needs to provide value to customers. This concept focuses on
society's welfare before anything else. It suggests that organizations through its marketing
practices should consider sustainable development. The societal marketing is becoming more
popular nowadays and firms are delivery value to society in terms of its CSR activities. Further,
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