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McDonald’s: Using Social Media to Connect with Customers
Excerpts....
Foray Into Social Media
Since 2006, Rich Wion (Wion) had been handling the social-media projects of McDonald’s and he established the company’s digital strategy. Wion became the founding member of the company’s digital task force. In 2006, he handled a publicity tour for Sarah Ferguson and Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC)...... For the project, Wion and his team developed a travel journal. According to Wion, the main challenges ahead of McDonald’s as far as social media was concerned were, “How do we continue to engage the scores of fans that continually profess a love for our food and our brand? Then, how do we react to our critics? We know that we need a very thoughtful approach in both areas.” ........ |
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McDonald’s Twitter handle @McDonalds, was created in 2009 to provide customers with the latest news about the company and its promotions. In 2009, McCafe, its new product platform, was launched. On Twitter, it was widely promoted through various offers of gifts and prizes. ...........
McDonald’s was extremely active on Facebook and various campaigns were introduced on this platform from time to time. The top of the Facebook page of McDonald’s featured seasonally popular items. Depending on the weather and the time of the year, pictures of new products were posted..........
Other Social Sites
McDonald’s was active on other social sites too. In the US, Pinterest had emerged as the third most-popular social network by 2012. Pinterest was recognized as a potential platform for McDonald’s marketing and advertisements. McDonald’s joined Pinterest with the aim of reaching new audiences as well as to bring old customers to a new platform. As of June 2013, McDonald’s had 2,500 followers, 17 boards, and 439 pins on Pinterest...........
The Other Side Of Social Media
McDonald’s benefitted immensely from the social media as it was able to engage with customers in a cost effective manner. Such an advertising and marketing platform helped it gain thousands of fans and instant responses, and to keep tabs on the pulse of customers. Social media, being an instant marketing channel, always needed constant monitoring. Wion said, “Monitoring social media is an absolute essential for any company to understand what people are saying about your brand and your industry.” ..........
Exhibit
Exhibit I:Growth of McDonald’s
Exhibit II:McDonald’s Total Revenues (2007-2012) ($ in Millions)
