Exploring McDonald', Adaotation to Changing Consumer Preferences and Trends

Abstract

In light of shifting consumer tastes and prevailing business trends, this analysis examines McDonald's digital marketing techniques' evolutionary path. It offers a thorough examination of the idea of digital marketing, highlighting its significance in the fast-food industry, the strategies used by McDonald's and its major competitors, and the challenges and scopes of digital marketing in adapting to emerging consumer behavior patterns such as a shift towards healthier eating. McDonald's shift from more traditional to digital advertising reflects the industry as a whole. Customers benefit from greater ease of use and personalization possibilities provided by digital platforms (Chaffey, 2022). This, together with data-driven insights, paves the way for a more customized and immersive customer experience (Kannan & Hongshuang, 2021). How McDonald's has made use of these strengths and what this means for the company's market standing are the topics of this research. The fast-paced evolution of digital marketing technologies and consumer preferences presents both opportunities and threats for the fast-food industry, which is also something investigated here through interviews and surveys. The interview was done with the management of McDonald’s whereas the survey responders were millennials and frequent digital media users. Therefore, the aim of this research is to help scholars and practitioners better understand the role of digital marketing in adjusting corporate strategies to meet the shifting tastes of consumers. The study results indicate that McDonald's has successfully promoted its brand and engaged with customers through digital channels like social media and its own mobile app, stayed relevant to the market through data-driven, customer-centric digital marketing initiatives. At the same time, McDonald's recognizes that consumers' tastes are shifting, particularly towards healthier and plant-based menu items.