Hello to all those reading this blog. This post will be a
discussion on the advertising techniques of two of the most successful fast
food franchises, MacDonald’s and KFC.
These companies are incredibly popular, and they owe a lot
of their success to their amazing advertisement techniques. Therefore as their
mark has been so great on Australia, this will be our first investigation. We
will be comparing the techniques used by these companies, looking at what
techniques the both use and how, as well as which techniques make them
different and how all of these have made them the success they are today.
Techniques they share
These techniques are used
by both companies. We will examine how they use them individually and what
makes them effective at promoting the company.
Images and feelings
For example, if a ball
brings a smile to a child’s mouth, the audience will connect ball to happiness
and either remember when they last played with one, or when they were last
happy. This creates in people feelings of longing, specifically longing for
those feelings again, which is how they sell products, as people come in to buy
them for the feelings they believe they will enjoy while using the product as
implanted by the image. Therefore images are very powerful.
Specifically with our case study…
Macdonald’s and KFC both
use this advertisement technique, or images and emotions. Their commercials
show people portraying the emotion or happiness while using their products.
MacDonald’s show people’s
smiling faces while they eat the food and of people laughing and having a good
time when using their facilities and products with other people. This implants
in viewers the idea that people have fun and are happy when they use the
facilities and eat their product. This encourages people to think, “Hey they
are enjoying it, so would I like too”.
KFC also use this
technique. They mostly feature people enjoying each other’s company while
eating their product. They show the emotion of joy and happiness. This again
sends the message that if you eat our product you will have a happy occasion.
OR people who use our product are clearly happy with it. This gives some small
kind of assurance to the audience who are then even more inclined to want to
try it or use it as an alternative. Therefore this advertising technique is
used quite effectively as they use it constantly and it helps contribute
towards both their successes.
Another technique they
share…
Strong and iconic branding
Another technique that
both companies share is promotional. Both these groups are very successful at
branding. This helps them to become well known and easily identifiable. This
impacted in two main ways. Through colour and image.
MacDonald’s main symbol
is the capital letter M. This is a warm shade of yellow on a red background and
has become their icon. Known as the golden arches. This icon appears
everywhere. As large statues outside of venues to catch attention on the road,
to marking all their packaging. This capital yellow M is trademarked as their
symbol and is a very effective one as they are well known for it. This makes
them easily identifiable.
Similarly KFC chose a
colour scheme of white and red. All their buildings are red with white bench
tops. Similarly are their packaging. Red stands out as a bright and eye
catching colour. Both these colours are used on their logo, a cartoon image of
a character known as the cornel that has a white beard with a white apron on a
red background. Both these company’s logos and colours have been extremely
effective as they have helped the companies become well known and easily
identifiable.
This is the reason both
have used this technique and has contributed to their success.
One more that both use
Skilful use of multiple mediums of advertisement
In our very busy society,
businesses have had to change to keep up with the new generations. This means skilfully
being able to express adverts for their products in all the places where people
will see them so they will still be noticed when people change mediums so
frequently. The success of MacDonald’s and KFC greatly lies in their abilities
to do just that.
MacDonald’s use many
different mediums to express their products. They have commercials on
television on all times of the day that means they will catch anyone home when
they are watching but also, by having them on all day, they can cater to
different meals such as a breakfast commercial. This adaptively is something
people respond positively to. They also advertise new products on the radio
which will catch people in the car to and from work when they might be hungry. They
have an interactive website which is useful for more information as it can tell
where the closest store is which only aids their advertisements.
MacDonald’s also
advertise through social media, a place where people are known to spend a lot
of time. By advertising to all these different places they are able to reach
more and more people. Therefore this technique is extremely useful to
MacDonald’s for sending out advertisements to people where ever they are, so
they can know about new products and contributes to the business’s success.
KFC is also very adept in
using multiple means to advertise. This technique will reach many more people
than just one way. They too use the radio and commercials. Similarly their
interactive website is very helpful for more information. By using multiple
mediums the company can reach more people, reminding them of specials and low
prices. People need more reminding as it helps them to rethink KFC as a dinner
choice. KFC only differs with Macdonald’s in that it makes great use of another
medium, the docket. They put specials on the dockets at the supermarket as a
means of advertisement. People then see they are getting a discount and are
more likely to come in and use the product. Therefore, unlike some lesser known
businesses MacDonald’s and KFC are very well known and successful thanks to
their advertisements being in multiple mediums.
All the
above information is our own findings from what we know advertising to be, and
seeing it’s effects on people. They are a factually informed opinion. The
images were taken by Alissa at Westmead Macdonald’s and Westmead KFC at night.
These websites were used
to verify information.
By: Alissa
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