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We see Billboards like this all the time. What is making us submit to these companies through advertising?
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The world’s biggest fast food chain, McDonalds, attracts
customers off the streets through simple ads, capturing the viewer’s empty
stomach and reeling them in. Attached to every Golden Arch remains a count of
the number of hamburgers they have served. To date, they have lost count, as now the signs read, "Billions and
Billions.” So why do people keep coming back, in a health conscious society
worried about clogged arteries and heart attacks? Quite simply, McDonalds knows
how to advertise, and they do it well. Attaching themselves to the world’s
biggest events, such as the Olympic Games, and the FIFA World Cup, billboards
go up advertising their food along with the biggest athletes and stars
currently making headlines.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEvIlSQAejYQBlhQ_iI2LizW7L0xkskBebusIfcnksYZtABf2lHmUtNTjkfvT8n4IhrTBsYnFBkyK2T64mJRmIFc9kWEy5hvJV3hG6owPPLTbn4QrAIpN40h2NI93vUp6BnM5SUYgZxo/s320/mcdonalds-fast-food-restaurant-mcdonalds-olympic-games-600-15407.jpg)
Along with the triumphs of a nation comes increasing
patriotism, as suddenly everyone is proud of their roots and where they come
from. Solomon describes this as “particularly effective,” as home grown
products tend to do better in their region, instilling an idea that the
customers are supporting local business by purchasing said product. At the top
of the table, McDonalds can focus on exploiting communities for their products
they produce, such as beef, potatoes, and produce. McDonalds has run billboards
to emphasize the importance of buying local, stating that the potatoes they use are grown in a nearby community, and sold locally. These signs capture the
passer-byer, reeling them in to support locally grown fries and burgers. These billboards specifically target the local community, pulling in the customers in the region. In reality, McDonalds is a global juggernaught in the fast food business, selling the same products in Washington State as they would Ontario, New York City and Paris, France.
But in a society where the Big Mac rules supreme, surely
there are competitors who need to compete and attack in order to sell their sandwiches.
While McDonalds casually (yet aggressively) draws their customers back, other
chains go on the attack, persuading McDonald’s loyalists away from their usual
eatery and to them. Pete Barry describes
this in his book, The Advertising Concept
Book, as expanding the market, which is essential for the competition
losing sales to the top companies. Burger King frequently competes with
McDonalds, citing that their signature sandwich, the Whopper, is much bigger
than the Big Mac. Burger King attempts to draw in their customers this way,
hoping to persuade onlookers that McDonalds wimpy sandwich will leave them
unsatisfied, hungry, and kicking themselves for not “Having it their way.”
Fast food chains are constantly reeling in customers off the
streets thanks to the use of billboard advertising. They are able to capture
the attention of the viewer for only a second or two, yet with a simple design
and clever slogans, will remain in their thoughts for the entire day. With
majestic images of burgers stacked sky high (in the sky) and golden fries
spilling out of boxes, customers take to the drive-thru to satisfy their hunger
needs.
Images courtesy of Google Images.
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