We don’t always admit it, but I know that many of us love a McDonald’s breakfast from time to time. Cheeky or otherwise. For better or worse it’s always the same. For richer or poorer it’s always cheap.
McDonald’s restaurants are ubiquitous, almost omnipresent. So yes, if I’m hungover, or running late, or in a strange city. Yes, I’ll have a McDonald’s breakfast, and I’m sure many of you have too.
So what about a McDonald’s wedding breakfast?
Crazy Little Thing Called McDonald’s
Say what? Yep, it’s a thing. Insert just that one little word, “wedding” and I’m rethinking everything. Not just the previous paragraph, but my whole life, my whole way of thinking. My epistemological understanding of the world is shaken. Can it really be true? Who thought that was a good idea? Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s good, or right. And I catch myself thinking; Am I a snob?
So let me step back a bit. I’m a lover of all things art and design because of their power to move people. Design can move us emotionally for sure, but it moves us to action too. Well crafted brands can imprint on our minds, become entangled with good memories and good feelings. Perhaps nothing more so than food from our childhood.
I Just Called to Order a Big Mac
Which brings me back to McDonald’s. You can find a McDonald’s restaurant in over 100 countries. There are around 1300 in the UK alone. That’s one McDonald’s for every city and town, more or less. So it’s popular. I mean really popular. It’s popular across economic cohorts, across cultures and across age groups. I’m no industry shill for Big Fast Food, but I gotta admit, McDonald’s success is impressive.
McDonald’s is like a great love song. An earworm. It gets into our brains and never lets us go. It’s happy memories of childhood food combined with striking, bold and unforgettable branding. It’s genius.
Can you feed McNuggets tonight?
So who are we to judge? Some people love McDonald’s. Some people want to share that love. They’ll marry with a belly full of McDonald’s. Probably with a fuller bank account too. Maybe McDonald’s catering a wedding isn’t insane. I’ll admit I’ve never seen 200 burgers and 200 nuggets all at once. But I want to. I wonder if they’ll throw in 400 ketchups.
And I’ll argue that this unparalleled popularity is in large part thanks to their excellent branding. Love McDonald’s or hate it – or feign indifference – you all know those golden arches.
McDonald’s branding has changed through the years. The ‘Golden Arches’ were introduced in 1960, and the iconic shape was finalised in 1968. Since then there’s been little movement in the arches, just some evolution and design around the edges. It’s perhaps the most iconic logo on our high streets and, for many of us, in our hearts and minds. Branding perfection. Well, it is now they’ve more or less done away with the clown.
Never Gonna Give McDonald’s Up
Are you convinced yet? No. You still think it’s faintly ridiculous? Well not to worry, at the time of writing the McDonald’s wedding package is only available in Indonesia. Will it make it to the UK? I wouldn’t bet against McDonald’s.
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