McGlobal

So I thought we would start out with a slight overview of International Marketing. Basically it is marketing products to other countries. Pretty simple? I think so.

I have decided to focus on one aspect of this topic, new products. I want to see the new gizmos and gadgets that come out in all countries and then possibly stick with a few to see how they are marketed internationally. Maybe these tactics will differ from their country of origin to the country with the most likely consumer base.

Just to start, I thought we could look at the globally popular McDonalds. McDonalds is in pretty much every country you can imagine. It is often thought of as a symbol of America, however it can be found in places from Paris to even Barbados.
McDonalds in other countries often acts as an American’s place to get some kind of food they are already familiar with. Guess again! Wherever you are, there may be changes to the McDonalds menu. For example in India, people do not eat beef, so they created a chicken sandwich entitled the Maharaja Mac. Check these out…


McDonalds in Europe have undergone a new look. The McDonalds arches have now become a more upscale fast food chain. The furniture in these European McDonalds have gone from the plastic red and yellow benches to green designer chairs, some even being leather! Many of them include Internet access as well as ipod rentals for children. This appears to me that it is starting to become more of a Starbucks where people can hang out, in a class environment rather than a cheap fast food joint. These changes have been paying off; the sales in Europe exceed those in the United States. Sales in Europe rose 15% which is a lot more than the US’s 6% increase.
Along with changing the décor, there have been some changes to the food. Of course they still sell burgers and fries (always the best selling items) however there have been some additions, such as in France a cheese burger with different French cheeses. The European market has been working to target their customers desires, which are different from Americans. The French especially, like to have smaller meals, where McDonalds (at least in the US) emphasizes the supersize. A lot of this image change has to do with different culture, and I think that is what companies must do to continue to grow in international markets.