McDonald’s has been a titan of fast food for decades, and their success can’t be attributed solely to delicious fries. A significant part of their dominance comes from their ingenious advertising strategies, some of which have been widely adopted by other companies. Here are 3 iconic McDonald’s ad tactics that others borrowed (or shall we say, “adopted”):
“You Deserve a Break Today” – McDonald’s (1971)
This jingle-based campaign encouraged people to take a break from their daily routines and treat themselves to McDonald’s. It ran for almost a decade in the 70s.
Burger King – “Have It Your Way” (1973)
Just two years after McDonald’s successful campaign launched, Burger King debuted their jingle “Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us, all we ask is that you let us have it your way!” The catchy, rhyming jingle invited customization and mimicked the “treat yourself” messaging.
The McDonaldland Characters – McDonald’s (1963-2003)
McDonald’s created a whole cast of funky characters like Ronald McDonald, Grimace, and Hamburglar to market to children and families. These appeared in commercials, branding, packaging, and restaurants themselves.
Chuck E. Cheese’s (1977)
The family pizza chain created its animated mascot character Chuck E. Cheese and promoted him heavily in commercials, restaurants, and marketing aimed at families with young kids, similar to McDonald’s.
McDonald’s Monopoly Game (1987)
The fast food giant launched this massively successful promotional game for adult customers, driving huge traffic by giving away prizes via collectible Monopoly game pieces.
Subway (1999)
Over a decade later, Subway mimicked this proven promotional concept with their own “Sub Sluggers” game, where customers collected game pieces for a chance at prizes to drive traffic.
