The Daily Rail: What Can We Learn from McDonald’s Sauce Promotion Fail

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

 

Today's Specials: 

 

BUSINESS: How Franchising May Be the Solution for Independent Bar & Restaurant Owners [Sponsored by Buffalo Wings & Rings]

The restaurant and sports bar business can be a taxing one. The juggling act that is required of a successful restauranteur or bar owner takes a mixture of passion and stamina spread over what can turn into 60 or 70 hour weeks. Sometimes it seems like the restaurant owns them instead of vice versa. Franchising can be the answer to all that.

 

DID YOU KNOWS…

 

White Nosed Dolphin

Miami Dolphins offensive line coach Chris Foerster has resigned on Monday following a shocking video of him on social media. In the video, Foerster is seen snorting a white powder using a $20 bill while confessing his love for a woman named Kijuana Nige. Foerster was one of the highest-paid assistant coaches in the NFL.

 

Carl’s Jr. Trolls Amazon

Fresh off the Carl’s Jr.–Wendy’s Twitter rap battle, Carl’s is on to their next project. For 24 hours, the Carl’s Jr. Twitter account shared “million dollar ideas” for a supposed partnership with Amazon. Take a look at the outrageous ideas that Carl’s is pitching to the ‘Zon. Each tweet is followed by the hashtag #AmazonBuyUs. Shade thrown. 

Beware of the Glowing Screen

A recent study found that Facebook is the social media app that is used most often with 53% of those surveyed checking it several times a day. This infographic from Statista shows the other most popular social apps that are checked multiple times a day. The second and third will surprise you.

Infographic: Always On...Facebook | Statista

 

SCHOOL’S OUT [Song]

Why it matters to you: Does formal education predict success in our industry?

The debate surrounding formal education in our industry never does seem to be settled. While there is no dearth of certifications one can achieve, the question has always been, “Are they necessary?” A dominant share of very accomplished folks in our industry have learned 100% of their skills while on the job or as a result of being a professional in the industry and seeking advanced training. Take the certification delivered by the Court of Master Sommeliers CMS for example. Fewer than 8% of those working as sommeliers in restaurants have passed the CMS’s highest threshold. Many believe it’s totally unnecessary to be an effective sommelier and have passed on it in favor of real-world experience with wine.

The same can be said for a formal culinary education and a Cicerone beer certification. They are nice to have but provide little in the way of practical experience. We challenge you to identify the person that has the certification from the one who simply applied themselves on the job. Do you think a formal education matters? This infographic was created from a survey we did of our readers and you guys said a resounding NO! Either way, formal education tells you the person has applied themselves to the content, but performance is the true test of whether that education made a difference.

 

THE SAUCE IS BOSS

Why it matters to you: McDonald’ sauce promotion backfires causing crowds to riot.

Advertising has its creative ways of investing into a niche following in order to grow their brand exposure. Sometimes this approach can backfire drastically as it has for McDonald’s and their recent Rick and Morty stunt. On Saturday, McDonald’s experienced chaos after promoting the (limited) return of their Szechuan Sauce on the Cartoon Network series Rick and Morty. The idea was to bring the sauce back for one day only after more than 40,000 fans of the show signed a petition to get McDonald’s to bring it back. Unfortunately, there was a major marketing disconnect between their supply and just how many fans the cartoon show has.

Within a short amount of time after opening, the 1,000 participating McDonald’s locations either ran out or didn’t actually have any sauce altogether leading to chaos inside and outside the restaurants.

Long lines of angry fans started chanting and began to riot. Soon after, McDonald’s issued a statement apologizing for the mix-up and that the sauce will be introduced again this winter to make up for their mistake. This is a key example of a marketing error that simply was not planned accordingly and failed in execution. Had the supply been better prepped, then the overall promotion would have been fairly successful as they have seemed to achieve sending their message to the right audience. Any future marketing efforts at any restaurant must be carefully monitored through its end to ensure guests aren’t disappointed.


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