McDonald's Twitter Campaign: Hype vs. Reality - A Marketing Report

This report analyzes McDonald's Twitter campaign, specifically the #meetthefarmers initiative, exploring its objectives, execution, and outcomes. It examines the advantages and disadvantages of social media for organizations, focusing on the importance of audience identification, including both positive and negative consumers, as well as critics. The report highlights the campaign's failure to resonate with all audiences, leading to reputational damage and loss of consumer trust. It provides recommendations for improving future campaigns, such as strategic timing, audience segmentation, and the use of external consultants. The report also outlines a strategy for better media relations, emphasizing communication of core values, increased market share, and effective damage control. Ultimately, the report stresses the importance of carefully planned social media strategies to avoid reputational risks and achieve marketing goals.

MEMORANDUM
TO: McDonald's management
FROM: Rick Wion
DATE: 31ST AUGUST 2018
SUBJECT: MCDONALDS TWITTER CAMPAIGN: HYPE VS. REALITY
Social media has seen a drastic boom over the past decade thanks to the increase in technological
advancement which has created a basis for globalization grow and develop successfully. The
market penetration of smartphones and the increasing affordability and access to internet
connection has allowed social media to translate the world under a single umbrella (Ngai
2015).there is a dark side to Twitter regardless of the possibilities that damaged McDonalds
reputation with the #meetthefarmers campaign reflected the negative side of McDonald rather
than its intentions of creating awareness of the quality of products procured from farmers
through conduction of personal interviews on them (Sherwin 2015).
Problems that McDonald’s experienced when using social media #meetthefarmers campaign
Our brand has long been known to offer quality services and products both locally and
internationally, that was damaged when the #meetthefarmerscampaign flopped through the
twitter for consumers airing the bad experiences they had where some were related to medical
consultations (Stephen 2016, p 18). This lead to lose in trust in our brand that saw the reduction
in sales is some of our branches that resulted in retrenchments so as to prevent further loses lost
in market share was adamants as some of our consumers switched sides to our competitors.
Moreover, it exposed a weakness that our rivals exploited which is poor management and
damage control in relation to Social media which they used as a learning curve.

McDonalds twitter campaign: Hype vs Reality 2
Advantages and disadvantages for an organization when utilizing societal media?
Social media has largely succeeded in connecting the global market efficiently through internet
connectivity that has increased its reach all over the world and is affordable. This outcome has
allowed many organizations to penetrate new markets and increase in their growth and
development. Through social media marketing, organizations are able to increase awareness of
their brand as well as their products and services to their consumers and prospective consumers.
Moreover, through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, organizations are able
to directly communicate with their consumers and accumulate their opinion, recommendations,
and criticism concerning their product and service delivery. This situation allows companies to
make strategic changes in their business models that will be used to increase consumer loyalty
(Hollebeek at al.2014, p 150)-155)
However, Sexton (2015, p 240-241) insinuates, that social media platforms are accompanied by
its livens that would extraordinarily affect the development and improvement of associations.
The increase in social media has prompted the ascent of numerous stages which could tend to be
tedious and costly with regards to utilizing numerous representatives chipping away at various
stages and monitoring every data produced through those stages (Gilkerson and Berg 2017, p
141). There are constrained subduing or channels identified with 'counterfeit news' the place it
could crush a starts notoriety effectively besides taking care of furious or disappointed shoppers
requires to be taken care of deliberately and vital as it would likewise prompt the downfall of a
firm.

McDonalds twitter campaign: Hype vs Reality 3
Who are the different audiences McDonald's needs to address when using social media
campaigns?
The famous failure of the #meetthefarmer Twitter campaign reflected the negative side of
McDonald rather than its intentions of creating awareness of the quality of products procured
from farmers through conduction of personal interviews on them. This illustrates that they did
not consider all audiences such as their critics and angry consumers who hijacked their twitter
campaign deflecting from its main objective (Gilkerson and Berg 2017, p 141). Therefore,
Twitter should strategize by identifying audiences who are positive and negative which will be
effective. Positive audiences include consumers who are loyal to the brand and are satisfied with
the current products and service delivery offered at McDonald however they would still
appreciate further advancements, they could be a group of individuals or organizations. Negative
audiences could include movements or government organizations who scrutinize every move for
a potential failure of an organizations change or current system delivery such as the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA) and World associations on food and medical organizations.
However there still could be a group of consumers who might be dissatisfied with the service
delivery, they are potentially considered lethal as they could as social media provided the tool
and capability of waging war on a brand with just a few words of discomfort or bad experience
( VanMeter et al.2015,p 73).

McDonalds twitter campaign: Hype vs Reality 4
How can the marketing and management team better design future Twitter campaigns for
McDonald’s?
After the analysis and identification of the different audiences of the firm’s social media
campaign, it would be essential in implementing a campaign that will be used to identify the
current setbacks that would potentially affect the growth and development of the McDonald
brand. This will allow potential criticism to be portrayed as a recommendation from negative
audiences creating a room for improvement in service delivery and business models of the firm.
Moreover, it would be significant to hire and eternal public relation or consultation firm that
would conduct research and analysis of the social media campaign before its implemented in
order to have an external opinion. The findings and results will be significant in determining of if
the promotion will have a negative impact or a positive one (Bal et al. 2017, p 224).
Strategy for Wion to encourage better media relations and more accurate reporting.
1.TIMING -Summer holidays should be a crucial turning point as consumer
demographics suggest individuals in school’s ore young
demographic are major consumers
2.AUDIENCE -Mc Donald royal consumers and prospective consumers
-McDonald critics such as Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
-World associations on food and medical organizations
3. SENDER -McDonalds marketing and communications department under
supervision of third party marketing, PR or consolations firms

McDonalds twitter campaign: Hype vs Reality 5
which can determine any setbacks in the early stages
4. KEY OBJECTIVES -Communicate the core values of McDonald
-Increase the market share in the fast food franchise market
-Communicate on the quality of products and service offered at
McDonald
-To create awareness of new and current McDonald products
5.DESIRED OUTCOME - Open channels for communication and dialogue between
consumers and McDonald
-Increase and maintain a quality brand and stand in the market
share
-Increase the market share in the fast food franchise market
-Eradicate and damage control of any negative rumors in the
social media which may arise or are still doing rounds from the
failed #meetthefarmers Twitter campaign
6.MEDIUM -Major television stations and newspapers,
-Social media ads through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as
well as the use of the McDonalds social media platforms
7.MATERIALS Advertisements, online ads and billboards
Advert on online news articles and smartphone applications both
on android and IOS
8.FREQUENCY -Major television stations and newspapers- twice every week
-Facebook, Instagram and twitter- daily

McDonalds twitter campaign: Hype vs Reality 6
Android and IOS application- regularly at random
In conclusion, its lack of effective marketing and promotional strategies through the social media
can destroy a firm’s reputation regardless of the size influence it has on the market through the
failure of the #meetthfarmers campaign by McDonald. This presents a learning curve for the
company as well as other firms to utilize the endless possibilities that come with social media
carefully and effectively as it will impact their ability to achieve their goals and objectives.
Thankyou.
Sincerely,
(signature)
Rick Wion

McDonalds twitter campaign: Hype vs Reality 7
References
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Gilkerson, N. and Berg, K.T., 2017. Social media, hashtag hijacking, and the evolution of an
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Sherwin, R.T., 2015. # HaveWeReallyThoughtThisThrough: Why Granting Trademark
Protection to Hashtags Is Unnecessary, Duplicative, and Downright Dangerous. Harv. JL &
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Stephen, A.T., 2016. The role of digital and social media marketing in consumer
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VanMeter, R.A., Grisaffe, D.B. and Chonko, L.B., 2015. Of “Likes” and “Pins”: The effects of
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