How McDonald's Made Its Dorkiest Product Hot
Cleverly employing the strategy of scarcity, McDonald's (MCD) has created fever-pitch excitement for a new marketing push starring its classic porcine faux-food, the McRib sandwich. The photo below, which the photographer labeled "I found a McRib," pretty much sums up the success.
Since it was first introduced back in 1981, the McRib has popped up occasionally at McDonald's restaurants in various regions of the country. Only rarely has the menu item -- which for the uninitiated contains no actual ribs -- appeared nationwide. Until now.
In early November, the Wall Street Journal reports, the rib-shaped pressed-pork patty will be carried chainwide for about six weeks. Expect near-hysteria from afficionados who in ordinary times consult a fan-built McRib Locator Web site and then drive miles to the few restaurants where McRibs might be found, in order to buy them six at a time. Currently, the map shows only a couple dozen recent confirmed sightings at McDonald's stores.
The fact that the McRib has been widely derided as "pork waste" and "mystery meat," seems only to have added to its un-cachet. It's sort of like the strategy used by In-N-Out Burger (few stores and great quality burgers), only in reverse. In this case, the food quality isn't the reason for a long quest to get this menu item, but scarcity still makes it desirable.
Some customers might not even want to tell friends they eat McRibs. But this sandwich is like the Pet Rock of fast food -- for many diners, the motivation is probably simple nostalgia.
While carrying McRibs nationally makes them readily available, the timeframe is so short that it creates another kind of scarcity. It may not be a hit in every market, but for some restaurants -- particularly in the South and Midwest -- the return of the McRib will no doubt be a sales builder. Then, the pork sandwich will fade back into legend...except for the die-hards who continue scouring the country for the few stores where McRibs are sold.
Maybe the McRib-mania experience will motivate McDonald's execs to come up with a new menu item that would inspire this level of loyalty. That'd be a payoff bigger than the small sales gain the McRib might bring in November.
Photo via Flickr users dennis (l) and (r) TheDeliciousLife; Thumbnail: DrPizza
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