Monday, September 23

 
Consumers Don't Buy 'Healthier Fries' Claim

Here are some interesting findings -- not scientific, but interesting anyway. SupermarketGuru.com, the Web site run by food-marketing expert Phil Lempert, asked visitors to fill out a short online survey about McDonald's recent claim that it is changing the way it cooks french fries to make them more healthful. This touched off a debate on a food mailing list about all the media coverage this announcement got, with some people criticizing the media for covering this at all and asserting that it will just further bamboozle the great unwashed who patronize the Arches. This survey shows that while about 85 percent of those who voted do buy fries at Mac's, the same percentage said the news will not cause them to eat more fries. Also, just over half say the announcement was just a marketing gimmick. Again, this is not a scientific survey -- it relies on people to self-select -- that is, you're more likely to get people who have some motivation rather than a true cross-section of the population -- and it also doesn't control for the tendency of people to answer the question the way they think they should instead of the way they truly feel. Still, the results are there.
I draw two conclusions: 1. Even regular customers aren't necessarily buying into McDonald's marketing plan (which might be one reason why the company's financial outlook is flatlining at best. 2. Mass media coverage apparently did not produce the mass general acceptance that some food people predicted. Food writers have always had to deal with soreheads who insist that covering a trend implies endorsement, but I maintain that when a major food entity such as McDonald's does something like change its fry formulation, that is news, but not because we all think McDonald's is great.
posted by Unknown 2:06 PM