12 Feb McDonalds make customers happy, see sales grow
At last week’s investment call, McDonald’s CEO said a focus on improving service, product quality and experience drove growth in customer satisfaction scores which in turn grew sales to their highest in 6 years. Hey, wait a second there, did he say if you improve the things that make a customer happy, your sales will increase? How refreshingly simple, primal and straightforward that is!
In an industry well-known for “strategic fluff” and full of sheep who flock to the latest shiny marketing toy, an organisation that acknowledges its weaknesses, focuses on single-mindedly addressing them and yields success as a result, should be applauded. McDonalds didn’t radically shift their brand positioning, advertising messaging or media weight during this period, rather they went back to basics: service, product and experience. Three things which matter most and are 100% in their control.
The CEO explained, “what we’re seeing is that a broad base investment in our people, restaurants and menu improvements all communicate a business on the move and heading in a direction our customers want us to. Brand perception and operational metrics go hand in hand. What we’ve seen around the world is that everything we do communicates, from the look and feel of the restaurants to the friendliness of our people and technology innovation.”
The key phrase in there is “everything we do communicates”. He recognises that ultimately a customer is going to form their brand view on the buying experience and the product. So, as a marketer, it is more rewarding to pay attention to what the store experience is like, how the app works, what the staff say and what the product delivers versus the colour of the girl’s dress in the TV commercial.
Service. Product. Experience. Get them right and you’re more than half way to the moon.