ELI NATINSKY PORTFOLIO
  • Homepage
  • Writing
  • Video
  • Blog
  • Recommendations
  • About Me
  • Contact

"The Founder" explores McDonald's history   

2/15/2017

0 Comments

 
I watched a fascinating piece of Americana recently – “The Founder” starring Michael Keaton and directed by John Lee Hancock. The movie is a biographical drama that tells the story of Ray Kroc (Keaton) and the creation of McDonald’s fast food chain.
 
Kroc build McDonald’s into one of the most successful franchises in the world, and he was listed in the “Time 100: The Most Important People of the (20th) Century.” The current numbers are staggering: as one of the world's largest restaurant chains, McDonald’s serves 68 million customers daily in 119 countries across more than 36,600 outlets.
Picture
What is also astounding is the company started with a single hamburger stand owned and operated by Dick and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino, California. The brothers opened their establishment in 1940, and it was “revolutionary” (Kroc’s words) in its time as the food was prepared in an efficient assembly line manner. In addition, there wasn‘t an interior dining area or wait staff – orders were taken and customers received their food at the front counter. "Orders ready in thirty seconds, not thirty minutes," Dick says proudly in the movie. 
 
When the film begins in 1954, Kroc is a traveling milkshake blender salesman who happens across the restaurant. He immediately sees the franchise potential, and he persuades Dick and Mac to enter into an business agreement to franchise McDonald's restaurants. The brothers sold the McDonald’s Company to Kroc in 1961, and there were already 500 locations in the U.S. by 1963. 
 
From a marketing standpoint, I was struck by a few items in the film that have played a pivotal role in the chain’s success: ​
1. The name “McDonald’s”: Kroc was taken with the McDonald family name and connected to it emotionally. After Kroc ends his arrangement with the brothers, Dick asks him why he didn’t steal their concept as it was clear from the beginning Kroc had a larger vision and the brothers might 
Picture
The first McDonald's in the 1940s.
impede his progress. “That glorious name,  McDonald’s – I had to have it,” Kroc confesses. Kroc said the name had a very American sound to it and people could pour their aspirations into it. In comparison, he said “Kroc” wouldn’t have worked nearly as well. It was, by his own admission, too harsh and blunt. ​
2. The “Golden Arches” logo: Kroc incorporated the “Golden Arches” into the McDonald’s brand. Dick came up with the concept, but it had only been implemented in a limited way when Kroc and the brothers met. "It’s a way to make the place standout," Mac notes. Kroc was enamored when he first saw an image of the arches in the brothers' office, and he decided all McDonald's franchises should incorporate it in their branding as the company grew. 
Picture
McDonald's “Golden Arches”
3. The “family friendly” theme: Kroc was delighted by the family-centric atmosphere the brothers had created, and he decided McDonald's should continue this as it would give the brand a more wholesome image and help it attract a wide customer base. Earlier iterations of Dick and Mac’s establishment offered cigarette machines, 
Picture
McDonald's has a "family friendly" tone. 
jukeboxes, and  drive-in service, and this drew teens prone to loitering and littering. By removing these elements, as well as focusing their menu on simple "all-American" food like burgers, fries and milkshakes, they were able to attract parents and their children. One of the most memorable scenes has Kroc laying out his vision. “McDonald’s can be the new American church!” he declares. “There should be (one) everywhere - coast to coast, sea to shining sea.”

In closing, "The Founder" is an intriguing slice of American history and culture. I was enthralled to watch someone build on the concepts of others and, in doing so, fundamentally change the dining experience both in the U.S. and abroad. There was a McDonald's near my childhood home in suburban Detroit, and I went there fairly often when I was young. So, while I already had a certain attachment to the restaurant chain, the company's legacy truly resonates now that I know the larger story. ​
0 Comments

Consumers crave authenticity in marketing

2/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Genuineness in marketing seems to resonate in this so-called “information age.” We are, after all,  constantly bombarded with a host of material, be it real or fake news, marketing and advertising, and social media (often used to promote said real/fake news and marketing/advertising). Trying to sort it all out can be daunting, so when something comes along that feels bona fide it tends to make an impact. 

What exactly is “authenticity” in marketing and why does it matter? 

Lizzie Davey, in her piece “A Beginners Guide To Authentic Marketing,” for tintup.com, describes it as “the process of open communication and being on the 'same page' as the audience you're ‘talking’ to. It's the notion of creating a dialogue between your brand and your audience that's natural and genuine.”

Giselle Abramovich, the author of 
“What is 'Authenticity' in Marketing?” explained the importance of authenticity. Abramovich, writing for digiday.com, said: “We’re clearly in an age of unprecedented consumer empowerment, where the reality of products and services is just a Google search and tweet away. That’s led to an influx of marketers harping on the need to be ‘authentic.’ What’s often left unsaid is what exactly being authentic means within the context of marketing.”

One example of authenticity is a recent Yahoo News article I came across about an 
11-year-old Girl Scout who sold more than 15,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies by
​"keepin’ it real." 
Charlotte McCourt's phenomenal success started with a letter she wrote to a family friend persuading him to buy her product. Her honest assessment of the baked goods entailed a “1 out of 10” rating system with colorful commentary. Thin Mints earned a “9” with its “inspired” combination of chocolate and mint. Savannah Smiles also fared well, as its “divine taste" nabbed it a “7.” The Do-si-do, however, was judged harshly, garnering a “5” for “unoriginality and blandness.” (Side note: I disagree!
​I like Do-si-dos!) 
​
Picture
Charlotte’s father, Sean, a producer on Mike Rowe’s “The Way I Heard It” podcast, enjoyed his daughter's reviews and shared it with his boss. Rowe, the former host of TV’s “Dirty Jobs,” read it on air and the publicity that resulted led the younger McCourt to sell thousands of packages. 
 
“In an age of fake news and dubious claims, leave it to a Girl Scout to show us the real value of truth in advertising,” Rowe said in a statement. “The simple truth that not all cookies are created equal. The undeniable fact, that some are ‘divine’ and others taste like ‘dirt.’”
  
How’s that for genuineness? If you can’t rely on the word of a Girl Scout then whose word can you rely on? 
0 Comments

    Author

    I'm Eli Natinsky and I'm a communication specialist. This blog explores my work and professional interests. I also delve into other topics, including media, marketing, pop culture, and technology.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

  • Homepage
  • Writing
  • Video
  • Blog
  • Recommendations
  • About Me
  • Contact