Mcdonald's Recently Launched a 100% Organic Hamburger In Some Of Its French Restaurants. Analysis Of This New Marketing Strategy, Its Aims And Consequences.

Abstract:
The name “McDonald's” joined with the adjective “organic” has something incongruous after all the environmental and public health damage generated by the fast food franchise since its creation in 1940 in California. Therefor, when McDonald's launched a 100% organic cheeseburger in some of its restaurants in France, some questions arise. What are the reasons of the fast-food leader tolaunch a product that seems incoherent with its image? How did it manage to introduce organic to its offer? What are the results of this partial rebranding on the public opinion? To what risk does the company expose itself?
Acknowledgement:
I wish to thank Paul Rhodes, my tutor for his support and encouragement in my project. I wish also to thank all the people that took time to respond to mysurvey and permit me to accomplish my primary researches.
Introduction:
Over the last 20 year, the consciousness of people about eating healthy food had rise. Indeed, the media propaganda of the public health policy became one of the principal actor of the consciousness-raising of risks due to unhealthy food. This tendency is the marker of a greater awakening of the importance of a healthyfood. More and more critics and polemics are made on fast-food chains.
The biggest scandal was certainly the coming out of “Super Size Me”, an American documentary film carried out by Morgan Spurlock. The journalist, who decides to nourish himself exclusively at McDonald's for one month, inquires through the United States into the harmful effects of fast-foods as McDonald's which involve the rise ofobesity. The film was diffused in more than 30 countries and brought back 18 million dollars of receipts.
This documentary movie marked an important awakening among many Americans. At the exit of this film, McDonald's withdrew all the menus “super size” while denying that did not have any relationship with the impact of film. Moreover, they launched a range of salad and reduced fat sauces.
InFrance, the brand McDonald's and Quick (its main competitor on the french market) had hardly suffered as well of this bad advertisement.
With the increase of the public health-consciousness, organic products became more and more popular. The organic farming is “a mode of production exempt of chemical products of synthesis” (definition of the Ministry for Agriculture). In other words, the organicfarming is guaranteed without chemical fertilizer, without pesticides, herbicides or fungicide. And of course, without genetically modified organism (GMO). The organic framing raised from nearly 20% between 2007 to 2008 in France.
Following the trend, McDonald's launched a 100% organic burger in some of its French restaurants in September 2010. The golden arches joined this diversification witha partial change of positioning. In fact, McDonald's is making effort to make its brand image evolute to reach a more eco-friendly appearance.
The point of this essay is to analyse this surprising rebranding and to understand the motivation of the fast-food leader for taking the risk of deviating from its original positioning. For this, It will first of all present McDonald's overall strategy.Secondly it will highlight the recent measures taken by McDonald's and try to find the reason for this sudden change of positioning. To continue, it will analyse the reaction of consumers in front of this new offer. Finally, the last part of this essay will discuss the several risks induced by this change of strategy.
I/ Presentation of McDonald's Strategy:
The main target of McDonald's is theupper or upper-middle class consumer segment, especially families. Therefor, its restaurants environment are family oriented and propose the famous “happy meal” with toys in it and often give access to playgrounds. The chain invites its franchise to adopt the “feel-like-home” concept.
The fast-food chain has a strategy of low price and hight quantity, this permits it to propose low price...