Marketing Strategies
Marketing employs popular strategies to attract consumers’ attention: Value-Based Strategies and the 4 Ps. The first approach focuses on the aspects of product, promotion, place, and price, whereas the second emphasizes value creation, communication, delivery, and exchange (Francescucci et al., n.d.). The advantage of the value-based approach is increasing the product’s value for customers and persuading them to spend money on it because of its high value.
On the contrary, the 4 Ps aims to cover all marketing activities, logically combining its components and directing them toward purposeful gain (Francescucci et al., n.d.). The 4 Ps is also similar to the Value-based approach, as it creates value through the optimization of pricing strategy, product diversity, place, and service promotion. The same is true in the Value-based approach, where value is a core concept that must be delivered to customers, bringing advantages and profits to a company (Francescucci et al., n.d.). As a result, the approaches are similar in their mission and function.
Marketing Appeals in Ads
Every advertisement is focused on a specific market segment and sends a message to the customers that encodes specific needs satisfaction. The first chosen commercial is from Tim Hortons, a Canadian fast-food chain. Its KindNest video urges people to be kind and open to one another, especially during the holidays (Kitcast, 2023). The second promotion is from McDonald’s – an American quick-service restaurant with locations worldwide. Its “Fancy a McDonald’s” clip shows how one person influences others, motivating them to visit McDonald’s during lunchtime.
Tim Hortons Ad
Based on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Tim Hortons’ emotional video communicates the need for belonging (Montag et al., 2020). Its touching story fosters good deeds, which is an integral component of belonging. In turn, the McDonald’s commercial seems to tap into the desire for social connection and a sense of community, according to Maslow’s hierarchy(Montag et al., 2020). In the first case, the target audience is broad – from children to older people, everyone who appreciates family values. The second one is mainly focused on young, active, and progressive people. In any case, both promotions gained their purpose through a psychological approach.
McDonald’s Ads in the US vs. Poland
To understand how the same advertisement is targeted worldwide, the McDonald’s clip will be analyzed from the perspectives of the American and Polish markets. The international type begins at the 20th second of the video, where a lady appears with a whiteboard showing keywords in the background (McDonald’s Polska, 2023). In the American variant, a man stands in the elevator, smiling and agreeing to follow his coworkers (Kitcast, 2023).
The Polish commercial also contrasts at the end, where a woman stands lonely in the empty office and realizes that everyone is at McDonald’s. In the American version, the final picture shows a crowd of coworkers gathering together for McDonald’s. The most crucial distinction is in the slogan, where “fancy” means “fantasy” or “think.” The Polish version of “Fancy a McDonald’s” is “Daj znaka na maka” (McDonald’s Polska, 2023). “Daj znaka” means to hint or to give a sign, which is different from the original.
The underlying aspects of marketing and psychology used in the advertisement changed how cultural and mental perceptions were viewed. The Polish variant changed the slogan, adding a rhyme, making it more memorable. The woman in the middle of the film draws attention to the whiteboard’s keywords that are relevant and interesting to the targeted segment. Eventually, a lonely worker at the end of the video longs to join everyone in the restaurant. Such changes are justified by the fact that McDonald’s is closer to Americans than to Poles, which motivates introducing changes to the international version to appeal to more people.
References
Francescucci, A., McNeish, J., & Taylor, N. (n.d.). Defining marketing. Toronto Metropolitan University.
Kitcast (2023). Best fast food advertising of 2023. Kitcast Blog.
McDonald’s Polska. (2023). Daj znaka na Maka!. Youtube.
Montag, C., Sindermann, C., Lester, D., & Davis, K. L. (2020). Linking individual differences in satisfaction with each of Maslow’s needs to the Big Five personality traits and Panksepp’s primary emotional systems. Heliyon, 6(7), 1-9.