A Talent Talks discussion at the McDonalds head office aimed to highlight qualities which have made it a successful business in South Africa and how they consistently improve their offering.
Talent Talks aims to build a network of business people to inspire them and connect and build off each other’s ideas. The CEO of McDonalds South Africa, Greg Solomon, highlighted that the key to growth is to keep changing to ensure that you are ‘modern and contemporary’.
“It’s not necessarily about what but it’s about the how and the why. Innovation doesn’t have to be about doing new things, sometimes it’s about doing the same thing differently,” said Solomon.
He added that consistently re-evaluating the needs of the business is essential, as a business with 10 employees has very different needs to a business with 100.
“I have a rule of thumb called the evolution of 10. Every time your business fundamentally changes by the factor of 10 you have to completely change your business strategy, your methodology and your thinking.”
Daniel Padiachy, the chief marketing officer for McDonalds, said that part of their strategy is that is doesn’t claim to be changing the world but rather focuses on the little moments in someone’s life.
“The brand stands for a little moment in a consumer’s life, we’re not about the big weddings or big celebrations, we focus on the little moments, like buying your child an ice cream after their soccer practice.
“We had to go through this metamorphosis as a brand to find out what we really stand for and we found that we stand for the little moments.”
Aspects of convenience and affordability are highlighted in McDonalds’ marketing strategy as these are two of the most important focuses.
Brigitte Da Gama, the chief people officer, added that the organisational culture of McDonalds is essential in ensuring employees are satisfied.
The Kulcha Club was started last year and the challenge is to ensure that McDonalds’ 10 000 employees are all aligned with the organisational culture. Da Gama highlighted that the goal is to create a sense of community and pride.
Share your thoughts on the Talent Talks discussion on the Sandton Chronicle Facebook page.
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