As if it weren't strange enough that McDonald's is the official food of the Olympics (what?!), now they're out to impact global culture even more than they have already. They're about to become... a lifestyle brand.
The McDonald's global marketing vision goes well beyond Olympic sponsorship, Light said. There are plans to raise global brand awareness through music, fashion and entertainment, too. The fast-food chain recently unveiled a partnership with Sony that enables customers to download songs from the Internet. It has created a line of children's clothes called "McKids" and has opened 15 children's stores in China that sell McDonald's-themed books, videos, toys and outfits. Electronic games are in production. Says Light: "Our strategy is to develop McDonald's as a lifestyle brand -- not just as a food brand."
Brace yourself. A lifestyle brand is my least favorite kind of brand. The more the term "lifestyle" is used to describe a brand, the less quality is inherent in said brand.
Via Greenpass.
