Recently, select New York City locations of the popular fast-food chain have been upgraded to welcome guests to sit in egg chairs, eat at wider tables and enjoy art deco panels. The franchisees of these New York City-based restaurants, in addition to McDonald’s corporate officials, decided to adopt the idea of a new, more fashion-forward restaurant after visiting a model created by a French interior designer in Europe. 

According to a recent article on www.portfolio.com, experts who study the impact of design on consumer decisions report that restaurant developers need to consider the creation of environments that offer “experiential dining.” As more options pop up, it may be that McDonald’s corporate leaders are trying to attract a more “sophisticated” consumer, who in past years, may have walked past most fast food options. In the article, Cornell University’s Stephani K.A. Robson says the new look at McDonald’s is part of an emerging trend, one in which fast food and large chain restaurants have begun to evaluate their market share and update their physical appearance. But will this help them sell more burgers? 

Experts say that many consumers do not decide where they will eat until they walk down the street or drive around the block, so making a fast food joint or similar restaurant more visually appealing is becoming more crucial. This resonates with me—I’m always making last-minute dining choices when I’m by myself on a break from work. 

These days, I only stop at McDonald’s (or other similar chains) if I’m in a rush and there isn’t a more healthy option nearby.  My lifestyle today is more geared toward what I perceive as “healthy food” and an enjoyable atmosphere. For example, Panera Bread has experienced tremendous success over the years due to their constantly updated “healthy” menu and stay-as-long-as-you-like ambiance. 

Perhaps, with McDonald’s recent design initiative, consumers will be inspired to stop in and stay for a while. It will be interesting to see how this developing trend will play out, and if the experts are right from a marketing and overall brand perspective.

My first thought was “What a great idea – honoring your parents by pointing out what they have taught us now that we are older and have kids of our own!” I decided to write my own blog about this topic. 

Here are some things that my parents taught me: 

1 – Never depend on anyone else – you have to make your own decisions and live with the consequences. 

2 – Nothing will get done unless you do it – or try to do it. 

3 – Life is an adventure and you can only live it one day at a time. Trying to worry about the future will not help and worrying about the past will not give you the opportunity to change things. 

4 – You can do anything you put your mind to. 

5 – Always acknowledge your mother’s birthday and Mother’s Day. (This came from Kim’s blog, but I wholeheartedly agree!) 

6 – Always respect the authority of your parents even if you do not agree with them, and make sure you respect other parents’ authority by referring to them as “Mr.” or “Mrs.” (insert last name here). (From Allison’s blog) 

7 – Always stay out of the sun! We all need vitamin-D; however, if you look at my mother’s 68-year-old-face, you would not believe that she is that age! 

8 – Be mindful of the words you use; most are sharper than swords. 

9 – Save your money for a rainy day, but don’t miss opportunities for fun! 

10 – Then there’s my dad’s favorite: “If you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas.” (A quote I later learned my father borrowed from Groucho Marx) 

I enjoyed reading Allison’s and Kim’s blogs because it gave me an opportunity to reflect on the lessons I’ve learned and the lessons I can teach my daughter. What are the lessons your parents taught you?

Initially when you think of texting and cell phone usage, you might think this would be the best way to reach the younger demographics. And that is correct, but it’s also interesting to note that teens, as the early adopters, have taught their parents how to text. 

In addition, here are a few interesting facts about the not-so-young demographic: 

• The average text user is 38 years old, while 39% of 55-64 year olds actively text. 
• Slightly more women text than men.  
• The average mobile subscriber sent/received 357 texts/month compared to making/receiving 204 calls/month in April – June 2009. This trend is expected to continue. 
• 33% of mobile subscribers have received a mobile ad, and 9% have responded.  

Mobile marketing can be effective for a variety of reasons. It’s permission-based, which is important today with so many messages coming at us. That means your leads are qualified and targeted, yielding higher redemptions. It’s immediate and measurable, which again is vital in reaching out to your customers. You can view your responses based on month, week, even hour and quarter-hour. And it’s also interactive, yet personal, which means you’re engaging your audience. The average response rate is 10-20% compared to a direct mail average response rate of 1-3%. It’s also extremely flexible. There is no “production” and you can change your message or offer almost instantly. 

If you’re interested in reaching out to your customers and clients through mobile marketing, please let Massey Communications know. We can put together a campaign to conduct research, promote special offers, increase brand awareness and more.

As I was perusing the Mother Nature Network online, I learned that Barnes & Noble is introducing another e-reader that is supposedly very similar to the Kindle.  I am a Kindle user and have been for some time, but I have often become frustrated that I cannot read it while in the car at night, and also that all text and images are only in black and white. This new e-reader is called “the nook,” and it is similarly priced to the Kindle ($259), but the nook also features color AND a touchscreen like the iPhone. 

According to Mother Nature Network and the B&N website, the 3G device allows you to download over a million titles in seconds, and it lets users flip through any book for free prior to purchasing it. The Kindle, however, only allows a free sample of the book to view for free, not the entire book. This new device is paired with a new technology called E ink which lets the user zoom in at random and maintain a crisp resolution on the text. 

From a marketing perspective, I am very impressed by the nook! Although I really enjoy my Kindle and am not currently in the market to purchase another e-reader, the nook is certainly very appealing and sounds as though it is very user-friendly. Barnes & Noble is smart to have created a Kindle competitor and to begin marketing the product at the start of the holiday season.  

Now, I have to wonder what Amazon and Kindle will come up with next. Will the Kindle upgrade to include color as well? Perhaps they will add a light-up feature to the background in order to assist with reading in dark settings. Or, will we start to see a surge in new devices, making traditional reading via books (gasp!) completely unnecessary?