McDonald’s Indian Entry with a Bang!

When McDonald’s entered the Indian market in 1996, the company faced a number of unique challenges. What’s interesting is to see how they made their entry impactful?

There were significant cultural differences to consider, as a large population in India follow vegetarian diet and would not eat Beef at all. They did not launch beef burgers for which they are recognized worldwide.

With the Introduction of Aloo ‘Tikki Aloo Burger for INR 20', they killed not ‘one’ or ‘two’ but ‘many birds’ with one short and in many ways were ‘Marketing Masterstroke’.

Following were the strategies :

👉 ‘Known to Unknown’ – While burgers were Alien or, Unknown to Indian Customers but ‘Aloo Tikki’ was a common/known name with hint of Indian Spices. In addition to offering ‘Aloo Tikki Burger’, McDonald’s adapted its menu to suit local tastes and preferences. For example, the company introduced a range of spicy sauces and condiments, as well as local favorites such as masala fries.

👉 ‘Opening Price Point’ – Burger at Rs.20 meant they spoke about ‘affordability’. Which we call as ‘Opening Price Point’ or ‘OPP’ strategy to break the ‘cost barrier’ in customers mind saying we are not expensive. Although they had many products in the menu at higher Price Point. A soft serve promoted as Ice Cream at Rs.7 was also a part of the same ‘OPP strategy’.

👉 ‘Promoting Vegetarian Product’ – Promotion of ‘Aloo Tikki Burger’ and Mcveggie Burger meant they were talking about ‘Vegetarian Products’. They did not stop only with the promotion of vegetarian burgers but created a system of seperate cooking veg and non veg within their restaurants. With this #mcdonalds also became the pioneers of separate Veg & Non Cooking in the #india. This attracted a lot of vegetarian customers inside their restautants.

👉 ‘Something for All’ – To appeal to a wider audience, McDonald’s made an effort to cater to families and children, offering playgrounds and play areas in its restaurants and promoting its Happy Meals. This broke the culture barrier and invited families to come into their restaurants.

Overall, McDonald’s success in the Indian market can be attributed to its ability to adapt to local tastes and preferences, as well as its focus on offering a range of menu options and creating a family-friendly atmosphere in its restaurants.

Following the principles you can create your brand too or implement some the strategies to your existing brands to make them better.