MCDONALD’S SEEKS EXEC TO FIX ‘BROKEN’ MARKETING
McDonald’s Corp., Oak Brook, IL, is looking for a chief marketing officer that ceo Jack Greenberg told franchisees is needed to fix the chain’s “broken” marketing.
Greenberg made the search for a global marketing chief public at a national franchisee meeting last week. The search does not affect the positions of Dean Barrett, who remains executive vp-worldwide marketing, or chief U.S. marketing officer Tom Ryan, who is credited with the New Tastes Menu of rotating promotional items. An outside search firm is looking at candidates inside and outside the company.
One McDonald’s executive said the chain has too many marketing messages “cluttering the airwaves and minds of its customers,” according to a Reuters article. McDonald’s lost two key promotions players last fall when R.J. Milano and Kim Poston resigned abruptly (PROMO, December 2002.) The pair has not been replaced.
McDonald’s U.S. sales rose two percent to $4.8 billion for the quarter ended March 31, mostly through expansion. Same-store sales were flat.
Separately, McD announced plans for World Children’s Day, a worldwide fundraiser, to be held on Nov. 20. Activities will vary by market; plans call for donations from product sales, car washes, walk-a-thons, and other events to benefit local Ronald McDonald House Charities. Composer/producer David Foster, musician Josh Groban, and actor Justin Berfield (“Malcolm in the Middle”) will participate.
