Question

Research and analyze McDonald’s use of social media. Craft a polished report that demonstrates the ability to understand McDonald’s use of social media for the following purposes:

1. Raise awareness

2. Influence desire

3. Encourage trial

4. Facilitate purchase

5. Create loyalty

Analyze the use of the following social media tools:

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Instagram

• Pinterest

• YouTube

Include the following sections:

Introduction: Introduce McDonald’s and what it is that they do and why social media is important to their business; HINT: Look at the industry they operate within as well as norms/standards for social media use in that industry.

Overall summary of social media use: Briefly summarize McDonald’s history with social media and current use of social media along with the overall strategic focus from one or several of the above purposes; can you identify who manages social media for the business (marketing department, outside social media advertising firm etc.)? Are they using the different tools like Twitter, Instagram Pinterest etc. in ways that are unique or duplicative (of other companies or competitors or even of other platforms—in other words are they saying the same uninspired things over and over again across platform or are they a unique voce that adapts to the Platform/medium? How are they leverage each tool for best effect/impression?

Use of each listed tool (6): List how each tool is used; provide examples; infer the primary purpose from those listed above.

Assessment and recommendations: Assess overall social media use. Make at least three recommendations based upon your assessment and research.

Answer 1

Introduction

McDonald's is one of the largest fast-food restaurant chains in the world with an annual revenue of $ 21.08 billion out of which $7.84 Billion is generated in the United States along with over 13,000 outlets in the United States. The company has a huge social media presence and is estimated to spend around $1.54 Billion on advertising and marketing. McDonald's falls under QSR or quick-service fast-food chain restaurants. The fast-food chain uses a combination of both white label brick and mortar stores as well as franchise stores. The percentage of customers who ordered take out food back in 2010 was around 8% whereas of 2020 almost 58% of restaurant customers order their food online while only 42% of restaurant customers eat on-premises or dine in. This significant change in trends in the way people order and eat forced the quick service fast food industry to invest heavily in technology, social media, and online advertising. All of McDonald's closest competitors like Burger King, Shake Shack, White Castle, KFC, Pizza Hut and Dominos have a heavy online presence and have also invested in developing technology like online ordering web and smartphone apps and partnership with delivery aggregators like Grub Hub, Door Dash, and Uber Eats.

Summary of social media use

Like most corporate fast food quick-service restaurant chains, McDonald's doesn't custom make content for each platform. It creates a standard set of creative content that falls into the following categories

Short Form Video ( 5 - 10 seconds)

Product Photography / Product Art

Product Promotion

CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility Activities

Philanthropy

Supporting Causes in their local community

Customer Engagement

Customer & Employee Stories

It doesn't tailor its content in order to take advantage of each platform's unique features. However, the fast-food giant actively engages with its customers and uploads content on a regular basis.

McDonald's has the highest user engagement on Instagram and, it has the largest number of followers on Facebook, with over 80.5+ Million followers. Here's how McDonald's uses each platform in order to engage with its customers along with their statistics on each platform.

Social Media Platform	No of followers / Subscribers	Number of likes	Average engagement per post	Type of content
Facebook	80.5 million +	80.5 million +	13,000 +	Short Form Video ( 5 - 10 seconds) Product Photography / Product Art Product Promotion CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility Activities Philanthropy Supporting Causes in their local community
Twitter	3.6 million +		1,3000 +	Short Form Video ( 5 - 10 seconds) GIFs Product Photography / Product Art Product Promotion Ads Events & Promotion
Instagram	3.7 million +		28,200 +	Product Photography / Product Art Short Form Video ( 5 - 10 seconds)
Pinterest	15,000 +	340,000 +		Pins featuring Product Photography GIFs
Youtube	398,000 +		2,600 +	Short Form Video ( 5 - 60 seconds) Ads CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility Activities Philanthropy Supporting Causes in their local community Customer Engagement Customer & Employee Stories

Assessment and recommendation

My assessment is that the brand appears like a corporation or a giant conglomerate as opposed to a customer-friendly brand that its customers can relate too. Instagram and Youtube are channels where authenticity and the use of influencers over cookie-cutter ads and campaigns. So my recommendation would be to either hire a modern advertising and marketing agency that specializes in pairing the brand with key influencers whose audience mainly consists of the brand's core demographic. This would not only make them seem more authentic but it would also increase their user engagement and drive higher sales.