Introduction

Marketing strategy used by McDonalds in UK from last three years will be analyzed to attain the objective of the dissertation. A marketing strategy will be also recommended to McDonalds to operate business in UK for next three years. Literature review, research methodology and findings and analysis sections will be covered in this dissertation to address the research problem (Fowler, 2002).

Research Problem

To analyze the marketing strategy of McDonalds used in UK from past three years and propose marketing strategy for next three years is the research problem.

Research Objectives

• To analyze the marketing strategy used by McDonalds in UK from last three years to sale product
• To assess the relevancy of marketing strategies in changing pattern of consumer behavior
• To propose marketing strategy for the firm for next three years in UK

Literature Review

Effective and strong marketing strategy is used by McDonalds to increase sales of the product in UK (McDonalds, 2010). From the past three years, localized marketing strategy is used by the firm to gain competitive advantage in UK market (Admap Magazine, 2009). In this strategy, customer-centric approach is followed by the firm to increase satisfaction level of the customers in UK (Admap Magazine, 2009). According to Carrigan and Pelsmacker (2009), alignment of strategy with changing trends in consumer taste is an important part of the success and failure of the marketing strategy in the global market. McDonalds adopts and align its marketing strategy with changing pattern of consumer behavior in UK to attain competitive position in the UK market (Jones, Hillier, Shears & Clarke-Hill, 2002).

According to Grant (2008), McDonalds should focus more on the adoption of green marketing strategy for the sustainable development of the environment. The firm should develop B2B green marketing in terms of processing of its products for ensuring tremendous success in 2011-2013 (Vaccaro, 2009). It will help the firm to maintain CSR (corporate social responsibility) in UK (It’s all McChange at McDonald’s, 2007). It will increase the positive word of mouth for the firm through effective promotion (Goi, 2009). It will be beneficial for the firm to ensure and sustain a good image in the market of UK (Jones, Clarke-Hill, Comfort & Hillier, 2008). Green marketing strategy will enhance the firm’s customer base and market share in the UK market (Peattie & Crane, 2005).

Purpose of the Study

In UK, due to presence of many firms in the fast food industry, McDonald is facing high competition (Jones, Hillier, Shears & Clarke-Hill, 2002). So, it is important for the firm to adopt effective and strong marketing strategy. This study will be conducted to assess the current strategies and recommend new strategies to McDonalds for doing business in UK (Fowler, 2002).

Research Methodology

Descriptive research will be performed for this dissertation. Qualitative methodology will be used address the research question. For the questionnaire, 50 marketing personnel of McDonalds will be interviewed. For secondary method of data collection, literature review will be used (Goddard & Melville, 2004). Scholarly articles, journals, books and company websites will be approached for assessing the current and future scope of marketing strategies.

Ethical Consideration

Ethical consideration and ethical code of conduct will be followed during the research.

Limitations of the Methodology

In this section of the research, limitations of the primary as well as secondary methodology will be discussed (Fowler, 2002).

Findings and Data Analysis

Findings and analysis of collected data will be presented on the basis of primary and secondary data collection.

References

Admap Magazine. (2009, March). McDonald’s: adapting to local markets to build a global brand, 503.

Carrigan, M & Pelsmacker, P. D. (2009). Will ethical consumers sustain their values in the global credit crunch.

International Marketing Review, 26(6). pp. 674-687.

Fowler, F.J. (2002). Survey research methods (3rd ed). USA: SAGE.

Goddard, W & Melville, S. (2004). Research Methodology: An Introduction (2nd ed). Juta and Company Limited.

Goi, C. L. (2009). A Review of Marketing Mix: 4Ps or More. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 1(1), 2-15.

Grant, J. (2008). Green Marketing. Strategic Direction, 24(6), 25-27.

It’s all McChange at McDonald’s. (2007). Strategic Direction 23(11), 5-8.

Jones, P, Hillier, D, Shesars, P & Clarke-Hill, C. (2002). Customer Perceptions of Services Brands: A Case Study of the Three Major Fast Food Retailers in the UK. Management Research News, 25 (6/7), 41-49.

Jones, P, Clarke-Hill, C, Comfort, D & Hillier, D. (2008). Marketing and sustainability. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 26(2), 123-130.

McDonalds (2010). Retrieved October 23, 2010 from http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/

Peattie, K & Crane, A. (2005). Green marketing: legend, myth, farce or prophesy?. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 8(4), 357-370.

Vaccaro, V.L. (2009). B2B green marketing and innovation theory for competitive advantage. Journal of Systems and Information Technology, 11(4), 315-330.