MacDonald’s Hidden Hypnotic Brand Marketing Tactics Revealed (and its copy able!)

McDonald’s Hidden Hypnotic Brand Marketing Tactics Revealed (and its copy able!): by Jason Li 2012 ©

They may not be the tastiest burgers in the world (or brand marketing)...

In fact, they don’t even try to convince you they are tasty or quality...

But when it comes to Hidden Hypnotic Brand Marketing Tactics, this strategy helps them be the most in demand in the burger industry...

Here are some reasons why you may love McDonald’s restaurants and love their marketing.

Unconscious Love and McDonald's Hidden Hypnotic Brand Marketing Tactics

Here’s the scenario:

You’re driving around, it’s about lunch time and you weren’t even thinking about food - yet. Then you see the M sign and BAM, you spin the wheel as your arms dangerously cross over and screech into the driveway entrance of McDonald’s, no need to spin the car around to go back- this time. Relief... you’ve successfully avoided having to do a U-turn or a lap of the whole block; and how intensely does your gut want to make you feel rewarded when you chomp that first bite of your burger or slurp your milkshake – it’s pure chemical now!

Get tranced by McDonald's Hidden Hypnotic Brand Marketing Tactics

Let’s take this a step back and see how all this happened.

What do most people do when they eat something really yummy. They say “mmmm!”

When you saw the road sign from a distance, you saw:

M – mmmm

Why is it so high? It gives you enough time to go “mmm,” and time to decide whether to pull in or not.

Also notice on the products, M is spelt the same on the burger packaging on the menu and on the packaging – see the packaging for fries. You are hypnotised into thinking mmm. What a genius idea. As possibly the only business that explicitly openly carries out the suggested marketing techniques used, McDonald’s continually captures people susceptible to hypnotic brand marketing tactics.

McDonald’s Hidden Hypnotic Brand Marketing Tactics Marketing Mix – using a mix of power of suggestion tactics

Here is a different way that McDonald’s marketing mix has been developed.

Green colours in the restaurant – makes you think of freshness. Remember, McDonald’s main operation is a kitchen that uses a lot of cooking oil. So green and pictures of freshness makes you forget this.

Happy times for kids – if you lock in kids early before they have the will power to control addictions, you are likely to have a customer for life. People always want to be happy and going to McDonald’s will be etched into children’s minds as a great place to get a quick happiness hit. People love nostalgia and going to a safe place where wonderful memories are held forever.

Kids taught it is a treat to eat at McDonald’s. That’s why kids have great memories of birthday parties there –  it is a good place to go. If parents and grown-ups say it is good, who’s to argue.

Eco – toilet, washbasin, recycled packages, and paper bags – you’ll feel a reward for eating there. Eating there makes you feel like you’re contributing to the world by saving the environment.

Heavy large doors at the entrance – similar to banks to get your trust straight away.  As soon as you walk in you feel like you’ve entered a reputable and trustworthy institution.

The counter is at the back and most well lit area – like walking up to an alter.

You see all the people eating before you go to the back so feel it’s OK to eat a burger, fries and milkshake because everyone else is doing it. There’s nothing like joining a group to feel like you belong. Remember, at the end of the day, you are eating a fried burger, fried fries and possibly a sugary milkshake. The guilt is vastly reduced in the company of others.

The toilet is always at the furthest point - so you might go in not intending to buy; but you will feel guilty or primed to buy once you have seen everyone eating.

Once you touch that heavy door, see fellow eaters approving it’s okay to eat a burger, tell yourself it’s a treat and you deserve to feel happy... once you reach the alter (counter) you are primed to buy.

Even if you just intend to sneak to the toilet, not everyone can resist the emotions pulling you to the burger counter when you come out.

McDonald's Hidden Hypnotic Brand Marketing Tactics & Suggestive Selling

I hope this article does give you something to do when you’re next sat in MacDonald’s. Possibly more people will go to McDonald’s after reading this.

As for me, I’m a big McDonald’s fan. For all the opposing publicity and news, I believe McDonald’s is on balance better for us than not in our world.

I visit every few weeks and when I take my place at the altar it’s with absolute joy. Maybe it’s the McDonald’s marketing sending my juices into overdrive, but “I’m Lovin’ It” anyhow.

Found this interesting. Did you just know there was something different about McDonald's marketing that you could not put your finger on... that they secretly did something which gave them an advantage? Well now you know.

Spread the word and show this article to someone to see what they think. Can businesses use hypnotic suggestive marketing tactics?


Further Reading:

'Anchoring Sales Technique’: Sales Pricing Strategy for more Upselling (secretly used by Gucci and Apple)'

AIDA Marketing Model: Sex Sells The Test

McDonald's Marketing Strategy & Marketing Campaigns (Opens Marketing Week website)
5 Lessons to learn from McDonald's marketing (Opens Marketing Nerd website)
McDonald's Children's Marketing Global Guidelines (Opens aboutMcDonald's website)
Why McDonald's Bare-Bones Marketing Approach Works (Opens Marketing Week website)