After all, if the middle class is robust, those folks are likely to eat out!
We are all responsible to tell our own story – again and again. Straight from the hip
Brenda Schoepp
Last month we put another conference for the beef industry behind us in Alberta. The handouts reflected most such events with an agenda, pens, paper, and advertising brochures from generous sponsors.
But most of the conference package though was an artful and professional portfolio from McDonald’s. It was fact sheets from its “See What We’re Made Of” campaign that focuses on informing consumers about food quality facts.
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In the beef industry, we have long been in communication and partnership with McDonald’s. Despite the continuous bad press, it’s considered a world leader in food safety. So why the support and advertising to an industry that is already sold on beef?
What McDonald’s had to say in the campaign was not rocket science. The focus was on the nutritional aspects of their food in your diet. It has matched servings to the Canada Food Guide and focused on the positive aspects of a meal at McDonald’s. That includes a guide on eating to lose weight, and feeding children.
In a “Myth Busters” package McDonalds takes common misconceptions about the food and addresses them with clear messaging. For example:
Myth: McDonald’s hamburgers contain fillers or extra fillers.
Fact: All McDonald’s beef patties, including those used in your favourites, like McDonald’s hamburger, cheeseburger and Big Mac sandwich, are only made from 100 per cent pure beef, no additives or fillers.
It is interesting to me that the content of hamburger is one of the most frequently asked questions of McDonald’s. A visit to the website confirmed this. And no wonder. McDonald’s sells millions of hamburgers every day in Canada and an estimated 75 hamburgers per second worldwide in 119 countries that cover six continents. As you know, this is no small-fry outfit as 77,000 of the 1.5 million McDonald’s employees are Canadians who work in 1,400 restaurants across the nation.
McDonald’s Canada has a mandate to procure local produce, meat and packaging and in 2008 spent $780 million doing just that from over 100 Canadian suppliers. That in itself is a strong strategic move. McDonald’s understands the concept of supporting local economies. After all, if the middle class is robust, those folks are likely to eat out! Think of the direct economic advantage to each region in having a McDonald’s nearby.
I was secretly thrilled to see the package. It fits well with my personal belief that we are all responsible to tell our own story – again and again. McDonald’s fully recognizes that non-engagement of their consumers as a business strategy is terminal. That is why it partners with the beef industry and keeps talking the talk. In short, it considers every venue an opportunity, and that includes a cattlemen’s meeting. McDonald’s knows the importance of keeping the consumer and the supplier educated and engaged.
There is food for thought in this approach. Even a small business is very much a part of the bigger picture. Every eating experience starts on the farm. What would your conference package say?
Brenda Schoepp is a market analyst and author of Beeflink,
a national beef cattle market newsletter. A professional
speaker and industry market and research consultant, she
ranches near Rimbey. [email protected]
