Battle of the Brands

First we can start by saying that McDonald's in the number of sales and number of locations in the United States and also the world. So how do they Market differently?

                                                       McDonald's vs. Burger King

When people think of what two major brands have been competing with each other for years, McDonald's and Burger King always come to mind. But which is more successful with their marking brands.

                       

 McDonald's has a great way of marketing to children. A great percentage of their business comes from children begging their parents to take them to McDonald's. McDonald's even co-marketed with children’s hits such as Disney, Mattel, and Barbie. Burger King marketed in a different way since they could not compete on a children level they targeted a slightly older demographic. Also McDonald's and Burger king advertised different to adults.  McDonald's has been advertising their salads, looking to target the mothers who bring their children, while Burger King has gone the other direction, promoting the Stacker sandwich, a sandwich made of layers of meat and cheese stacking up to four burgers high. This sandwich caters more to the youths. Overall McDonald's takes Burger King on market cap with $53.7B to $2.9B.

What do you think Burger King could have done differently to beat McDonald's on the market?

               

Marketing to different cultures

When marketing to different cultures it can be difficult but after reading some steps to take, here are 5 factors when targeting different cultures. 

1. Wealth- Wealth can vary between Americans greatly, so imagine in different cultures. Wealth is a big factor because all cultures are different in this aspect and this will affect how consumers buy products.

2. Consumer Habits- This might be an obvious one, but it is still very important. You have to be aware of your consumer habits and in each culture they can vary greatly, so knowing your target market will be a big help.  

3. Age- Age is tremendously important when looking at different cultures. All generations interact different depending on your culture, so determining the age will help.

4. Language- Language is very important for communication, so knowing your target markets language will be to your best interest.

5. Personality- Studies have been done to test personality types. However one study in one culture won’t necessarily match exactly the same in another culture. So it would be best to do research and get the idea of personality about your target market  and keep an eye on it. 

What do you think is the most important factor when trying to market to different cultures?

In Response to Kathleen Johnsons Post…

Should John smith sell the names? Also, Does the AMA Statement of Ethics address this issue? What in the Statement relates to John Smith's dilemma?

I do not think that John Smith should sell the names. Even though his business is close to bankruptcy it would not be ethically right according the AMA statement of ethics. On their website under Ethical Values it states that Honesty is to be forthright in dealings with customers and stakeholders.  To this end, we will:

• Strive to be truthful in all situations and at all times.
• Offer products of value that do what we claim in our communications.
• Stand behind our products if they fail to deliver their claimed benefits.
• Honor our explicit and implicit commitments and promises.

So going behind their customers back wouldn’t be right, even though John could use the money for the business right away it could also end up hurting him in the long run more by losing the trust of their customers.