Wednesday, January 3, 2018

McDonald’s keeps mystery alive with ‘Archburger’ rollout

McDonald’s never announced it was testing its new burger—but the news got out all the same.

USA Today reported on a market analysis that indicated the fast-food chain was testing burgers made from fresh beef in several locations in advance of a national release.

It wrote:

Instinet analyst Mark Kalinowski identified two test sites -- one in Plano, Texas, and one in a suburb of Tulsa, Okla. Both are selling a regular Archburger with cheese, pickle, onions and Arch Sauce for $2.19. An Archburger L&T, which also has lettuce and tomato, is going for $2.69. A Bacon Archburger is $2.89.

The Plano restaurant's menu board includes the tagline "One bite and you'll believe" and the promise of "fresh beef cooked when you order," according to Kalinowski.

Once it was scooped, McDonald’s acknowledged it was testing a fresh-beef creation but did not provide additional information.

USA Today continued:

McDonald's confirmed the Archburger test, but declined to share details.

"We.. look forward to gaining valuable feedback from our customers and crew. We are continuing to raise the bar for our customers with new menu items and ways to experience our brand," the company said in a statement.

Why all the secrecy? McDonald’s might be trying to avoid comparisons to an earlier version of the Archburger that flopped and was discontinued.

Business Insider recounted how the original Archburger fell out of favor:

McDonald's spent an estimated $150 million to $200 million advertising the Arch Deluxe's rollout, which was, at the time, the most expensive promotional campaign in fast-food history, The New York Times reported.

The fast-food chain's executives predicted that the burger would bring in $1 billion in sales in 1996. However, the burger — which, at between $2.09 and $2.49, was pricier than typical McDonald's fare — failed to win over customers and was discontinued in the late '90s.

It might also be hoping to slide past comparisons to longtime competitor Wendy’s, whose use of fresh beef has been a staple of its business for years.

[RELATED: Learn how to boost buzz, build brand recognition and engage employees on the hottest social media platforms.]

Wendy’s has trolled McDonald’s on Twitter for its use of frozen beef patties.

McDonald’s move to add fresh beef to the menu could look like an admission that it had been doing it wrong all along. At least, some Twitter users thought so.

However, others seem ready to welcome the new burger with open mouths.

McDonald’s learned its lesson when earlier announcements were poorly received. A tweet from March 2017 announcing its plans to roll out fresh beef proved tricky for brand managers on social media.

Twitter users were quick to ask what was in their Quarter Pounders if adding fresh beef was a new idea.

Now McDonald’s is keeping its cards close to its vest, hoping that customers’ interest will be piqued by the mystery of a new product rather than a flashy announcement video.

What do you think of the stealthy approach to the Archburger, PR Daily readers?

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