Follow The Fry
It’s a common misconception in the world of advertising… “Why do I need to advertise if people already know about me?”. I can see where people are coming from when they raise this question, but to that point I must argue. When you take this mindset, you become reliant only on your current customer’s brand recall ability. With all the advertising that crosses a customer’s eye balls every single day, it’s difficult to put all your trust in their memory alone.
In honor of National French Fry day (Monday, July 13th), I want to dive into a global brand that everyone recognizes by its signature Golden Arches or it’s catchy song. That’s right, we’re talking about McDonalds. If billions of people around the world know about this popular fast food chain, then why do we still see television ads and billboards featuring those golden arches, and why do we still hear radio ads telling us to go grab a Big Mac with fries today? It’s because McDonalds knows they need to stay on the top of your mind in order to make you a loyal customer. Think about it this way, if I saw a McDonalds television ad for their fish sandwich and decided to grab one for lunch today, then McDonald’s marketing team has done just one step of the process. Now the challenge arises when I see an ad for Subway or Burger King and now McDonald’s is pushed to the bottom of my recall list. By continuously placing ads in front of me, I’m constantly reminded of McDonald’s greasy fries and tasty burgers and have a far better chance of hitting the drive through more often.
Another layer to this situation is the flow of your customers. Depending on your product or service, the rate at which people enter and exit your target demographic can vary, but it’s inevitable that you will always have new customers to reach. As children grow and become more able to communicate to their parents what they want for dinner, McDonalds is right there to imbed it’s Happy Meals into those children’s heads. Here’s another example for you. Let’s say you own a small brewery and you stopped advertising a year after you opened your doors because things were going great. Well think about how many young adults turn 21 every day. All of those new legal drinkers will have a very slim chance of hearing about your brewery if you don’t advertise to them now that they are within your target demographic. Think about your product or service… are there incoming potential customers you’re not speaking to?
To sum things up, if a brand as large and recognizable as McDonald’s has to spend millions of dollars a year on advertising ($447.3 million in 2019 according to Statista to be exact) to continue their success, it’s a pretty good indicator that your product or service will need some kind of advertising push as well. So follow the fry and find out how advertising can support the individual goals you have for your business. And maybe swing through the McDonald’s drive thru while you’re at it for some tasty fries on this national holiday.
