I’m not a fan of fast food today and how they have contributed to the escalating obesity rate and health of millions of people, but I am very fascinated with great brands and how one fast food brand revolutionized an industry and the world.

I want to share with you today how two brothers revolutionized their industry, created what has become a symbol of American culture with a global presence that reaches millions of people and generates sales of on average $57,000 every minute.

This is important for you as you are now growing your business and looking to expand your brand globally. At the heart of your brand strategy is product development.

It is an area that I work with my clients on but I realized that I don’t share enough insights on this and how your “method” can help position you not only as a go-to brand but revolutionize your industry. It is a key part of your “Le Creneau”.

This is what the McDonald brothers did in 1948 when they founded the brand and I am going to walk you through the steps they used to develop a market revolution. To innovate and create what is today a symbol of America.

STEP #1 – CHANGING WORLD-VIEW AND COMING UP WITH A FOCUSED PRODUCT VISION

A key to developing a method that revolutionizes your market is to understand the market landscape, the existing world-view. What are the big changes that have happened in the market today?

For the McDonald brother, it was post-war America, the suburbs were developing, and families now had cars; people were becoming more mobile (mobile culture). At that time, almost every restaurant was locally owned but when families travelled they didn’t want to run the risk of having bad food in a new place.

People wanted CONSISTENCY, SPEED, LOW COST, and FAMILIARITY where ever they went.This created increased demand for chains and franchises that were familiar. The brothers’ vision stated with the mission to create a system that would have “food orders ready in 30 seconds rather than 30 minutes.”

STEP #2 – SIMPLIFICATION 

While most restaurants had long menus and lots of variety; the McDonald brothers focused on simplifying their menu to focus on just “THREE MAIN ITEMS” (burgers, fries, and milkshakes).

STEP #3 – BORROW FROM ANOTHER INDUSTRY TO INNOVATE

Most people look within their own industry for ideas. The McDonald brother knew that they needed to create something innovative and looked to the auto industry and the process that revolutionized that industry.

They adopted the assembly line system to prepare food and improve the efficiency of their restaurant. Genius approach for the restaurant industry at that time. After much trial and error, they nailed it. They called their new method the “Speedee System”.

It was a smashing success and was to become what is now the industry standard for the fast food industry. They had revolutionized the industry.

Within six years the two brothers had 21 franchises and 9 outlets. Later on Ray Kroc came into the picture, bought out the brothers.

Today the brand is in 120 countries, serving 68 million customers each day. 

Building a world-class, powerhouse brand requires you to have products/services, a method that is innovative and sets you apart in your industry.

If you would love to learn more about how we can work together to create your clear brand strategy, distinct brand identity, image, message and strategies to get you more visible in your market, schedule a call to meet with me for a free strategy session at this link.