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Dayton
Business Journal...
UD
researchers unlock secret of McRib marketing
by Ginger
Christ, Reporter
Monday,
February 6, 2012
Editor: Who
woulda thunk it?
The
appearance of McDonald’s Corp.’s McRib sandwiches aren’t as predictable
as the
annual arrival of the Shamrock Shake. But, University of Dayton
marketing
experts think they have unlocked the secret to the popular pork
sandwich’s
releases that have helped drive its cult following.
“We see a
noticeable trend that leads us to believe that McDonald’s uses the
McRib to
exert its dominance in the market when one of its competitors starts
offering a
pork-based sandwich,” wrote Serdar Durmusoglu, assistant marketing
professor,
and Matthew Larrick, a University of Dayton MBA graduate, in a recent
report.
The
researchers compared McRib releases from 1982 through 2011 to the
launch of new
products by McDonald’s competitors such as Au Bon Pain, KFC, White
Castle,
Burger King and Quiznos and found the burger chain’s releases of the
sandwich
coincided with competitors’ introductions of pork-based menu items.
The McRib,
a pork patty covered in barbecue sauce, debuted nationwide in 1982, but
was
pulled off the market the same year.
“Most at
this point, would consider the McRib another failed new product: A
product was
launched and demand was mediocre, so the product was discontinued,”
Durmusoglu
said.
Seven years
later, the sandwich was reintroduced in a handful of markets and again
pulled
off the market within four to eight weeks, a trend the company
continued into
2011, according to the researchers.
And, with
each new release of the McRib, McDonald’s plays up the history and
limited
availability of the product to increase demand. For example, in 2005,
2006 and
2007, the company held “McRib Farewell Tour” promotions. In 2010 and
2011, the
company highlighted the history of the product with its “Legend of the
McRib”
and Facebook-based “The Quest for the Golden McRib” promotions.
Durmusoglu
and Larrick contacted McDonald’s representatives, who denied McRib
launches
were designed to suppress the competition.
The McRib
has developed a cult following, and there is even a locator Web site
being set
up where people can report a McRib sighting.
For full
report from UD researchers, along with other articles from the Dayton Business
Journal, click here.
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