Even after the restaurant has reopened, McDonald’s has high expectations of its own McDelivery delivery service. Susan Schramm, Chief Marketing Officer in Germany, talks about the strategy of the burger chain during and after the crisis, new messages and the trend towards less waste and healthy eating
In times of lockdown, McDonald’s started its own delivery service – which the burger chain has high hopes for. “In some cities we work with our partner Lieferando, but we are currently expanding our fleet ourselves,” said Susan Schramm, Marketing Director at McDonald’s. There is a “great focus” on this and “very high expectations”.
As in the entire gastronomy sector, the fast-food chain has been lagging behind with eventful months, sales in Germany fell from EUR 3.8 billion to EUR 3.2 billion in 2020, and many employees were on short-time work. The branches have been open again for a few weeks now, and in times of lockdown, only the drive-ins were often open. “You can feel this spirit of optimism here too,” said Schramm. “Everyone is happy that a touch of normality is finally returning and that a certain joy for the future and optimism is spreading.”
Schramm believes that for many people it still takes “a certain amount of overcoming” to eat inside a restaurant: “Both in classic gastronomy and at McDonald’s, you have to clear your head first.” McDonald’s usually does things like ” Hüttengaudi “to football tournaments or an“ Easter countdown ”. This time, however, there is no “We’re back” campaign. It’s about normalization, said Schramm – and, incidentally, also about finding enough new employees quickly.
Susan Schramm, who is currently as, quickly adjusted the burger chain’s communication strategy due to Covid-19. The message had to be changed from a brand that “stands for lightness, for beautiful moments”: “Suddenly you had to throw everything that you had planned so neatly with really high granularity.” The message, said Schramm, was: “We ensure the safety of our guests and our employees. ”For this purpose, advertising clips were also shot and changed.
Trends that McDonald’s also focuses on include sustainability and healthy eating. Not an easy thing for a fast food chain, but “a balanced diet and fun while eating do not have to be mutually exclusive,” says Schramm. A broader vegetarian and vegan menu is planned. Reducing waste is also a goal of McDonald’s, for example through new packaging made of grass. Such measures are “extremely important, especially for the young target group and not just for them,” says Schramm.
Also hear in the new episode of “The Zero Hour”:
- How often Susan Schramm eats at McDonald’s
- What McDonald’s is planning for the 50th anniversary in Germany
- Will robots soon be serving food instead of humans at McDonald’s?
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
