Consumer Behavior. McDonald's The Real Milkshake Advert (Term Paper Sample)

Consumer Behavior
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McDonald’s The Real Milkshake Advert
Consumers rely on advertisements for them to make a decision on the nature of commodity that they will consume; especially with the raging dynamism in the economy. Though tastes, fashion, and preferences play a crucial role in determining consumer behavior, advertisement has ensured that consumers change the needs and demands for products available in the economy. One of the advertisement prints that have been effective in creating consumer awareness and enhancing competitiveness of McDonald’s Company’s product is The Real Milkshake advert (Shown in the figure below). McDonald’s Company has been struggling in creating awareness on the food products and services it offers in its restaurant across the globe. The implementation of the advert ensured that the company recorded high revenue outlay within a short period; thereby, enhancing its global success. When a consumer looks into this advertisement print, it triggers three factors; stimulus factors, individual factors, and situational factors. In this essay, the assessment of the effectiveness of McDonald’s advert in relation to these three factors is conducted with an aim of determining the success criterion of print ads.


Stimulus Factors
According to Solomon (2006), the effectiveness of a print advertisement is attributed to stimulus factors as it determines the initial attention that the ad has on an individual. McDonald’s advert demonstrates four stimulus factors that make the company beneficial in the economy; size, intensity, position, attractive visuals, information quantity, isolation, interestingness, and contrast and expectations. Before assessing these stimulus factors, the company’s market share is undeniably larger in food and restaurant industry. McDonald’s operations are going global, and this assures a consumer that the product advertised cannot be misleading as the market share and competitiveness of a company gradually grow. Large market share shows that the company has been involved in numerous prior to this advertisement, and it has secured enough customers. Where the advertisement is misleading, then the consumers would not have been loyal to the company hence the growth strategy would have been hampered.
The size of the ad is not small or too large, but it is the size in which it triggers attention of the consumer. Looking at the size of the cow that stands on the ‘shaker’ it makes consumer wonder how the cow will manage to stand at the posture without shaking. The ad shows that no matter the size, McDonald is involved entirely on milkshake business, and it assures the consumers of the quality of the milk that is offered by the company. The expansive area, characterized by green pasture, shows the quality of milk that the consumers expect to get if they buy from the company. Although, the advertisement company has inscribed its name in the bottom right corner of the advert, it prevents judgmental consumers. Some of the consumers might have decided against the products offered by McDonald, but they will be required to move closer to ascertain what is so important with that picture—the main intention of ads’ attracting consumer’s attention. The ad is clear and appealing to the eye, especially its natural setting. The ad relies on the picture, but not written advert. Having a visual advertisement is more appealing and the information can be easily passed to the target population than text advertisement (Posavac and Society for Consumer Psychology, 2012).
Individual Factors
Apart from stimulus factors, individual factors also played a vital role in attracting consumer’s attention towards the advertisement. McDonald Company understands that consumers are focused on satisfying their needs in the economy. Individual factors denote the traits of a consumer towards a specific product or service (Hoyer and MacInnis, 2008). The needs and interest of consumers are the key characteristics that aim at influencing the attention towards an advert. Interest reflects the lifestyle of consumers, and his or her long term plans and goals. An example of long-term goal is to invest on the product and increase his or her profitability (in the case of consumer who aims at retailing on the product), and the short-term goal is hunger. The situation of an individual, at the point where he or she has seen the advert, influences the short-term plans and goals of the consumer. When an individual who is hungry spots the advert, the need to satisfy his or her thirst and hunger may be overwhelming, and one would end up consuming the product. However, consumers have different abilities when attending to the informational advert. This can be attributed to the difference in income level and living standards across the globe.
Consumers are often exposed to and examine the information that is relevant to their perceived needs at that time. McDonald advertisement attracts the attention of individual as the majority of individuals would like to quench their thirst occasionally. Individuals would be interested in advertisements that possess related products of their interest. The consumers are also attracted to a brand due to its brand familiarity, and the extent to which the company is known in the economy. McDonald is one of the leading companies globally, and consumers understand that their wide scope of needs will be met by a global company. Over the weekends and holidays, children will accompany their parents in the streets, and according to Hoyer and Mac...