There are five P’s at the basis of McDonald’s recent success, and the company’s CEO says it’s not rocket science to figure out how to make a profit in this industry.
When a poster of McDonald’s Plan to Win was taken off a wall in corporate headquarters for a freshening-up, chief executive Jim Skinner personally intervened to get the strategy statement back in place ASAP.
“I told people, never, ever take the Plan to Win down and leave it down—do whatever it takes to replace it,” Skinner says. “People might see that and think, ‘Oh, Plan to Win’s down. There must be a change strategically.’”
A change in direction may well be the last thing wanted by McDonald’s management, stockholders, loyal franchisees, suppliers, and perhaps even customers. Studies have shown that Ronald McDonald is nearly as well known as Santa Claus. Awareness of the brand’s dominance in the U.S. restaurant market may be even higher.
