A big portion of Global Branding is product development. McDonald’s, as a global firm, is the king of shaping their product toward their targeted market. In the video below, we get to watch American’s reactions to McDonald’s India. The outcome is quite interesting.
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Chicken Maharaja Mac – Note how some of the main comments were regarding the choice of protein and spices. In the Hindu religion, cows are a sacred animal, making the typical American beef patty a bad choice for entering India. Some of the Americans reacted to the “orange sauce” as having a distinct flavor that they couldn’t quite place.
McAloo Tiki – Many Indians are vegetarian, so potato is quite often used as a substitute for meat. In general, the Americans noted that they couldn’t discern the flavor profile of this sandwich. One American even noted the heavy amount of onion used in this sandwich.
Spicy Chicken Wrap – This McDonald’s India dish is the most similar to America’s menu. The importance of maintaining your brand image must come through in your products. Although many of the reactions contained comments about the elevated spice level of this dish, they definitely noted that the wrap was “American sized” and most likely to be served on the McDonald’s America menu.
McSpicy Paneer – This sandwich is derived from a heavily spiced Indian cheese dish called Paneer. One of my favorite Indian dishes is called Shahi Paneer, which is this cheese in a tomato based curry sauce. The patty here is made of this cheese, which most Americans would find unusual.
Our Comments – Overall, we think that McDonald’s does a great job in developing their product to cater toward the Indian market. A huge part of culture is food, so being able to change to adapt to different culture’s foods is key in McDonald’s Global Branding strategy. Not how the advertising doesn’t change at all. One of our favorite comments from this video was “I still love how they put the Mc in front of everything.” It’s important for McDonald’s to stick true to their branding even after changing their product.