Monthly Archives: July 2012

Negative Buzz….. oh my!

Have you ever seen a social media blunder from one of your favorite companies or bad reviews on their Facebook page and it changed the way you thought of them?  In March 2010, a Nestle employee who was annoyed by … Continue reading

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Mommy marketing: I have the power! And the stuff!

So, I’m going to have a baby at some point in the near future… the very near future. Our official due date is September 13, a mere six weeks away!  This has big news for all of our friends and … Continue reading

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New Ad Space For Hire

This afternoon my 541 group and I were talking about  marketing ideas for our campaign project. Recognizing that we have quite an advertising challenge and a limited budget, we talked about how we need to think way outside the box … Continue reading

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PBS Goes Viral

PBS has always done a great job reaching very young children, offering great programs that capturing toddlers and children through about second or third grade. It also has programming that consistently reaches viewers over 50, and it relies on this … Continue reading

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Who Needs Advertising?

Google’s Nexus 7 sold out before a single commercial was aired – how did they do it, and what does that mean for their brand? Continue reading

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Theater Shooter’s Mother Speaks Out

It may seem cliche to discuss the Aurora, Colorado shooter on the day of his first court appearance, but it has quickly gained so much press and national attention that I feel it is worth mentioning the implications of the … Continue reading

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McDonald’s Faces Scrutiny in 2012 London Olympics

2012-mcdonalds-london-olympics

McDonald’s has long been under fire for its genetically modified food practices. It has further been accused as disrupting American farms. Now, the food industry giant has a problem overseas. London, the home of the 2012 Olympics, recently witnessed the world’s largest McDonald’s being built. The 1,500 seat, 32,000-square-foot, and 2-floor restaurant is located in Olympic Park. This location is expected to sell more than 50,000 Big Macs during the Olympics.

The new location is causing a serious backlash. A group named the London Assembly is raging a ban on McDonald’s during the games. The group alleges that McDonald’s helps increase the growing obesity epidemic in their country. It is said that 60.8 percent of adults and 31.1 percent of children are overweight in the UK. Moreover, McDonald’s refuses to abide by guidelines to use a specific percentage of its produce from farms within the UK. Groups suggested to the International Olympic Committee that hosts of the games must conform to strict rules to not outsource a large number of products as a basis to increase profits within the UK. McDonald’s will only source half of its ingredients from the UK.

McDonald’s believes that it should be allowed to operate how it sees fit because the organization has reportedly spent close to $100 million dollars over the course of four years for hosting the games as a sponsor. However, more problems arise from the manner in which McDonald’s marketing communications has responded. The chief executive at McDonald’s UK believes the location in the Athletes Village will be the most busy. One would have to be delusional to believe that athletes will run to grab a Big Mac. McDonald’s has also responded by stating:

Did you that McDonald’s will recycle and reuse 100 percent of the furniture and equipment, and nearly all of the building materials from these restaurants, for future and existing restaurants. All types of materials – from the beams to the wiring to the kitchen equipment – will be labeled for sorting and relocating to future destinations following the Games.

Yes, this is a good move, but it is a subterfuge. Will they follow through with it? This is not the first time McDonald’s has faced marketing controversy. Earlier this year, McDonald’s did a social media promotion on Twitter to encourage people to tweet their favorite McDonald’s stories using hashtags. Subsequently, the promotion became an utter fail. The organization was received with stories about finding worms in their meals and serious health conditions from the food. Yet, McDonald’s has received high scores for its social media marketing on Facebook and Twitter over similar organizations like Taco Bell, Chipotle, and Subway.

McDonald’s should have better marketing plans in place in case of backfire. Today, communication travels fast and it seems like McDonald’s does not understand how to cope with backfires or simply does not care about saving face. Sadly, 1 in 10 visitors at the Olympics will eat at the fast food chain. McDonald’s is in the business of making money, but it does not seem to realize how large its impact is on the people and communities around its locations.

The organization’s marketing efforts should include changes to alter how consumers view their products. One initiative that could change the organization’s image would involve actually using produce from local farms. Healthy alternatives that are not genetically modified would greatly improve not only its image, but also the people who consume their food. The organization should take advantage of its online communities and urge for their consumers’ suggestions and actually act on them.

Please let me know how you feel about this issue and leave a comment.

Here is a time-lapse video of the location being erected.


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Oh…Yoo-Hoo…Where R U???!?!?!

Foursquare, a geo-social media entity will soon provide a new marketing tool designed to their customers with geo-targeted offers from retailers. After a significant amount of testing, ‘Local Updates’ will enable retail stores and restaurants, like Outback Steakhouse, Whole Foods … Continue reading

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The Dark Night Rises Faces Marketing Crisis after Colorado Tragedy

Credit: http://collider.com/dark-knight-rises-images-batman/168928/ I, like millions of other people across America, was absolutely shocked when I woke up this morning to email news alerts about the shooting in Colorado at a midnight showing of one of the summer’s most anticipated flicks: … Continue reading

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The 3 R’s of Education-Reading, ‘Riting & ‘Rithmatic: TV Execs Were “Taken To School” On The Possible Fallout—A Follow Up ( I will post a new topic, but felt compelled to post this, as it is breaking news)

Either the execs at Viacom and DirecTV finally sat down and did the math…realizing that millions of customers – 26 channels of programming = hundreds of millions of dollars in ad revenue lost or execs with children realized, as the … Continue reading

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