brandflakesforbreakfast: mcdonalds coffee campaign is hot

Monday, December 22, 2008
mcdonalds coffee campaign is hot

Just totally loving the McDonalds coffee campaign. They've had a history of poorly targeted, fragmented ad campaigns, so it's a warm welcome to see work that targets a real audience with actual product benefits while addressing a chief competitor.

Adhole points to the outdoor work, which is apparently lighting up Seattle, the capital of everything Starbucks.

Labels: ads, beverage, outdoor, yummyfood

posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:04 AM 8 comments

8 Comments:

At 10:00 AM, Chris Wilson said...: While traveling this weekend, we crossed 4 different states. I was surprised to see how quickly the McCafe's were popping up. Almost all of the ones we encountered were newly opened inside Mickey D's. They even had one in the small town that my grandparents live in. Amazing news for a coffee addict like myself.

I wonder how soon we will see them in every MD in the US.
At 11:42 AM, Rick Jessup said...: I'm inclined to disagree on the value of an ad that accuses a set of potential customers of being "dumb". Smart companies can target, announce benefits, and address competition without calling out consumers. As someone who enjoys Starbucks drinks they've effectively eliminated me as a potential customer for even something so small as a one-time sampling.
At 12:44 PM, Make the logo bigger said...: See, I thought McDonald's didn’t need to do anything targeting Starbucks. They’ve already eroded SB sales just by introducing a latte.
At 1:08 PM, Cory O'Brien said...: I do love the creative play on words, but I agree with Rick that it's a bit iffy on the overall message, and has the potential to offend some long-time Starbucks buyers, which seems like one of their major targets for the ad.

That being said, it does target a real audience (cash strapped coffee lovers) with an actual product (espresso) while directly addressing their main competitor (Fourbucks) in only seven words, so you can't fault them for a lack of brevity!
At 4:50 PM, Ben Kunz said...: Rick and Cory have a point, but I think McDonald's is making a brilliant and calculated trade-off.

1. Some Starbucks fans might be upset, but those loyalists would never leave anyway. So McD's loses nothing by ticking them off.

2. Another group of Starbucks fans, including myself, think it charges too much ... and we're starting to feel the pinch of recession. For us, this clear positioning creates the first memorable ad from McD's in a long, long time.

I find myself responding to this ad, and that is surprising. If McD's can get through to a calloused ad guy like me who hates its old plastic ways, then McD's is on to a good story. Rock on.
At 7:06 PM, Rick Jessup said...: Further to your first point, though, why are they going after a product with perceived (if not actual) higher quality with a low-end product? I agree that the loyalists won't leave SBUX, which is the major reason I think the campaign is flawed. There's a much larger market of people who prefer "unpretentious" lower-end coffee, and nobody who values their coffee experience is trading it for a McD's cup.

But, I guess they've got us talking, that's at least half the battle. ;)
At 1:18 PM, Joe said...: i love everything the the McDonald's McCafe coffees, everything except the silly name
At 10:54 PM, Anonymous said...: As a small biz owner of two espresso drive thus that have been in business for 12 years, I can tell you that McDonalds has crossed the line. I have a McDonalds right next door to me. Obviously they have way more money than I do and have done everything they can to steel the customers I have earned over the years.
FACT- McDonalds is NOT that much cheaper than me or Starbucks. That is a marketing LIE! Compare the same drink, same size! Stop comparing a regular cup of McDs coffee with a large Mocha Espresso with flavor shots in it from another business. MCds is not that cheap. Look at the prices of their hamburgers, fries, soft drinks and everything else that isn't on the dollar menu. WAY overpriced. I stopped going to McDs years ago because of their insane prices. And their food absolutely sucks. If I eat one of their hamburgers it stays in my gut for two days. I don't know what they put in their meat, but it isn't all beef!@
If they were really much cheaper, they would be cutting corners in ingredients which is what they do on everything else.
The other point is that McDs is a liar. The pictures they use in their ads never has and never will look like the product you actually get. Look at the smashed up soggy quarter pounder you get to eat while looking at the picture of the big, fresh, fluffy buger that you are supposed to be paying for. What makes you people think McDs is going to do anything different with coffe than with their other products.
The other point is that you know that as soon as McDs puts all the small biz out of biz, they are going to jack up the prices on the coffee just like everything else. Just look at the price of their soft drinks. If they can really make a quality espresso drink for under 2 bucks, then why are they charging 2.50 for a coke that costs them a dime? You really think they are doing the consumer a favor right now? NO WAY! They are pulling the same corporate BS like blockbuster and Starbucks, which is why I don't feel too sorry for Starbucks, put all the small biz out, take away the choices for the consumer, then jack up the prices.
And lets not forget, an espresso drink is custom made. Our customers can drive right up to our window, order their drink the way they like it face to face, how many espresso shots, how many flavor shots, sprinkles, temperature, type of milk, etc... You will NEVER get that level of service from McDs.
So I consider this a temporary setback for me. People go and try McDs coffee and then they come right back to me. It is just really hard right now because the economy is so terrible. We are already taking losses. It is really hard for small business right now- I have employees who have families to feed. I am trying to provide jobs and keep America and the community going. If you ask me, McDs is acting like nothing less than heartless Nazis! And they are full of you know what! They can't sell their burgers and crap so they put on this over aggressive campaign to steel other people's customers with expensive marketing deceitful lies!
PRETTY PATHETIC MCDONALDS! YOU ARE LOOKING PRETTY DESPERATE THESE DAYS! MAYBE IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER WORM BURGER RUMOR!
Please people, think about what you are doing when you go to a McDs and give them your money. To them, you are a CONSUMER. To a small business, you are a CUSTOMER! BIG DIFFERENCE!