With the introduction and expansion of McDonalds, the symbols that are associated with McDonalds became synonymous and represent American society and are some of the most iconic images of the 21st century.
In the novel Fast Food Nation, a group of first graders were surveyed with several images of iconic figures in American culture. Among these images were Jesus, Santa Claus, George Washington, and Ronald McDonald. The only image that was more recognized than Ronald Mcdonald was Santa. This shows how Ray Krocs ingenious market approach to kids truly impacts American Culture.
Another survey in Fast Food Nation, taken by Sponsorship Research international found that 88 percent of the people they surveyed could identify McDonald’s famous Golden arches and only 54 percent identified the Christian cross.
Its amazing to see that within the span of less than a hundred years, the images and values that Ray Kroc chose to represent McDonalds are some of the most notable throughout the world and are greatly associated with American culture.
In 1979 Ray had began to wrestle with the idea of having certain products appeal to a specific demographic rather then just the general product. That year he and the company started selling Happy Meals as an occasional promotional product containing hamburgers french fries and a soft drink. Targeting children with boxes originally designed as collectible boxes forming circus train cars. Now there are small toys or prizes inside. These Happy Meals became so popular it earned a spot on the menu year-round. McDonalds rather than focusing on marketing their product to the general public of America, they focused on a specific group. This exploitation created great success and has influenced how other chains use marketing techniques to appeal to a certain demographic.
In the year of 2011, McDonald's profited more from Happy Meals than other chains such as Panera Bread and Arby’s did in total. This is a true testament to how Ray Kroc's innovative marketing approach helped McDonald's reach grand success and influence a large market.
In the magazine article, A Brief History of McDonald's Abroad, it talks about McDonald’s global expansion and different culture’s reactions to it. As McDonalds grew and established a restaurant in every major city in the United States, they turned elsewhere to expand. Despite major successes in many other countries, McDonalds is not always accepted into every culture. Many see McDonalds as American economic and cultural chauvinism and take it as an insult to their cultural and traditional foods. Ray had to find out how to make McDonalds more universal and less American. To help this cause he created the organization: The Ronald McDonald House Charities to show care to places all around the globe. This has helped the image of McDonalds to be associated with selflessness and charitable care. In the book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, the authorThomas Friedman raises the Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention which states that no two countries have gone to war since McDonalds opening up on both countries. Everywhere McDonalds expands throughout the world, they bring American culture integrating into other cultures. Ray Kroc has created one of the most innovative company of the past 200 years. A company that started as a small burger joint in California has been expanded in unique and innovative ways to where today it has the most restaurants out of any chain and is a universal symbol for peace and community. Numerous companies have taken the business model that Ray Kroc laid down into their own. Today it is seen that how he approached the marketing of McDonalds has solidified McDonald's as a cultural milestone of the modern world.