When vacationing in Bali, I saw a sign that said, “Missing home? Come to McDonald’s.”
Of course the sign was targeted to the millions of foreign tourists in Bali. And my thought directly went to the American tourists. Of course they are the target market of the advertising.
The funny thing is, come to think of it, I have been in the shoes of the American tourists. When me and several co-workers came to Taiwan several years back, the only place we felt comfortable and familiar to eat was, of course, the local McDonald’s.
When I first came to the US, the first place I had a meal in was a McDonald’s restaurant.
When my wife didn’t feel well and couldn’t make her mind on what to eat while we were in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, she asked me to get some fried chicken from.. McDonald’s.
We have been so used to global brands like McDonald’s, KFC, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Starbucks, Coca-cola, Pepsi, that we automatically look for their trademarks when we are in a foreign place. It’s our comfort zone. It’s almost a surrogate of everything we are familiar with.
Some may say that it is a bad thing. What’s the point of going to another country only to eat or drink what you can find anywhere? Where’s the adventure?
Yes, they may cause world to feel bland and uniformed. On the other hand, there are at least three things that we can learn by the presence of global brands:
No matter where we are, there are people who like the same things as we do.
People are more or less alike, regardless of country, nationality, race, or religion. So it may actually be easier than we thought, to find a common ground with others.
There is a good chance that what is acceptable in a country, may be acceptable everywhere. An idea, therefore, could be a very powerful thing anyone could wield upon this earth.
So where does this leave our business with McDonald’s? I kind of see this fruit of Mr. Ray Kroc’s labor as the new lingua franca of the food world. Even better. In some countries, the number of people who know and eat at McDonald’s may exceed the number of the people who speak English.
Is there a McDonald’s or any other familiar international fast food restaurant chain where you are going? Then you know you there is a place where you can feel at home with the food.
