By Emily Whitaker
Everyone passes those golden arches almost once a day and it is the perfect pit-stop when you need some food quickly or are on a long road trip. What most do not think about is all the work that goes into running them. On Friday March 26, DePaul’s PRSSA had the opportunity to meet a few members of the McDonald’s Corporate Relations team to learn what they do then take a tour of their new Chicago location.
Running a business that size is a difficult task and we have the corporate relations team to thank for getting their story out. They have a huge team that works to take care of brand engagement, brand reputation, field and local communications, government and public affairs, media relations and brand engagement. Our host Jessica said, “We truly need all pieces of this pie working together in order to succeed.”
Each of those functions look to five principles in order to run efficiently and get the same messages out to consumers:
1) Tell a consistent story
2) Allow room for cultural relevance
3) Talk with and not at the consumers
4) Make Interactions
We have seen these come together recently in their successful campaigns like the Big Mac’s 50th Anniversary, The Sauce Crises and Bacon Hour.
After listening to Jessica and Hailey tell us about what they do (all while sipping on McDonald’s soft drinks and coffees) we were given the opportunity to tour their magnificent new building!
Each piece of their building represents something from their past, present or future as well as paying tribute to those that help them out. They feature a wall that has maps of different farms that their grow their crops on and a whole museum style temperature-monitored room that holds some McDonald’s relics.
They also feature state-of-the art amenities for their employees. We were able to see their full-sized gym, their bar for Thursday night fun, where all-employee meetings happen and more. They make sure they have rooms to accommodate all working styles so their team can succeed with their groups or in the privacy of the silent library.
One spot that took our breath away was their full-scale test kitchens and restaurant. They use these to test new products and record informational videos for employees or the company’s president giving updates. Overall, the meeting was a success and DePaul’s PRSSA had a wonderful time meeting the team and touring their new headquarters. We cannot wait to see what McDonald’s has cooking up for the future.
