McJob Security: McDonald's Fights to Change the English Language
What started as a humble roadside burger stand now reaches across the globe, an icon of American life for better or worse. And many say "worse." McDonald's has been blamed for America's obesity epidemic, for anti-labor practices and now for trying to redefine what has come to be known as the "McJob."
You know what a McJob is: dead-end, low-paying, unstimulating, unskilled. The word has been in use for nearly 20 years, and in the Oxford English Dictionary since 2001. But according to a recent Times article, Ronald and the rest of the McDonald's crew want the meaning changed to "reflect a job that is stimulating, rewarding ... and offers skills that last a lifetime."
That's quite the turnaround, isn't it? And it begs the question: who controls a company's reputation? Clearly, McDonald's has invested millions of marketing dollars into building their brand. They've largely succeeded, too: they've been the top-selling quick serve chain for years and you don't get that way without convincing a few customers to spend their dollars.
But a quick glance at McDonald's marketing campaigns over the decades reveals an interesting trend. Every single marketing "theme" (as listed on the company's website) focuses on the individual customer experience. McDonald's has spent all their marketing karma, it seems, on convincing the consumer that it's all about them. This isn't a bad idea—when you're choosing a fast food restaurant, you're looking for immediate gratification at your own price point. Appealing to this consumer drive makes perfect sense.
But "marketing" doesn't happen in a vaccuum. It's not simply slogans and logos and slick brochures. Marketing has to take into account the company as a whole, and particularly the values and principles behind the product or service. But wait, you might point out, what about all those McDonald's commercials with smiling employees who seem so darn happy to be working for the multi-million dollar chain?
Like I said, marketing isn't just about the consumer-facing collateral (whether print, broadcast, online or whatever). Maybe if McDonald's spent a little more effort actually making employees happy—from the bottom up—they wouldn't have to paint a rosier-than-real picture of what it's like to work there. And then, just maybe, they wouldn't have to fight so hard against the public's entirely organic perception of the dead-end McJob.
You know what a McJob is: dead-end, low-paying, unstimulating, unskilled. The word has been in use for nearly 20 years, and in the Oxford English Dictionary since 2001. But according to a recent Times article, Ronald and the rest of the McDonald's crew want the meaning changed to "reflect a job that is stimulating, rewarding ... and offers skills that last a lifetime."
That's quite the turnaround, isn't it? And it begs the question: who controls a company's reputation? Clearly, McDonald's has invested millions of marketing dollars into building their brand. They've largely succeeded, too: they've been the top-selling quick serve chain for years and you don't get that way without convincing a few customers to spend their dollars.
But a quick glance at McDonald's marketing campaigns over the decades reveals an interesting trend. Every single marketing "theme" (as listed on the company's website) focuses on the individual customer experience. McDonald's has spent all their marketing karma, it seems, on convincing the consumer that it's all about them. This isn't a bad idea—when you're choosing a fast food restaurant, you're looking for immediate gratification at your own price point. Appealing to this consumer drive makes perfect sense.
But "marketing" doesn't happen in a vaccuum. It's not simply slogans and logos and slick brochures. Marketing has to take into account the company as a whole, and particularly the values and principles behind the product or service. But wait, you might point out, what about all those McDonald's commercials with smiling employees who seem so darn happy to be working for the multi-million dollar chain?
Like I said, marketing isn't just about the consumer-facing collateral (whether print, broadcast, online or whatever). Maybe if McDonald's spent a little more effort actually making employees happy—from the bottom up—they wouldn't have to paint a rosier-than-real picture of what it's like to work there. And then, just maybe, they wouldn't have to fight so hard against the public's entirely organic perception of the dead-end McJob.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home