2.+Your+Trusted+Friends

In this chapter, Eric Schossler investigates the marketing strategies behind Ray Kroc, the businessman that took over the McDonald franchise. Throughout the chapter, Schossler makes note to interweave the similarities of Ray Kroc with Walt Disney, another businessman that prospered in this era and continues to today. Both salesman began from humble beginnings and worked their way to success. Therefore, both were adamant conservatives and supported many political campaigns championing hard work and self reliance. Ray Kroc in particular had a close relationship with President Nixon, and even had a legislative bill called the McDonald bill passed. But more importantly, both businessman were described to be "master salesman". They knew how to sell their products and ideas to the public, rather than being the creative minds behind the ideas. Walt Disney created marketing strategies that propelled him toward a fast, successful franchise. He created the idea of a "synergy" where he allowed other businesses to use Disney characters and phrases in order to increase name recognition for his own company. He also focused to receiving corporate sponsorships, and projected the idea of inviting the public into a "place of imagination and magic" away from the realities of the world. These tactics served to be so successful, that even Ray Kroc began to mimic Disney's strategies. Instead of creating an amusement park, Ray Kroc instituted playgrounds at every McDonald franchise. He created appealing characters, such as Ronald McDonald, that were even more recognizable than Mickey Mouse. Part of these businessman's strategy was the tactic of appealing to children. They believed that if children were interested, they would bring their parents and grandparents and therefore increasing customers. Not to mention, create life-long customers if the children were loyal customers. This proved to be an ingenious marketing strategy. Through selling toys in Happy Meals, creating fictional characters, and targeting commercials to the youth, profits and success began to proliferate to incredible degrees. Other businesses and corporations and businesses have caught on to this successful frenzy, and to this date, children are the most targeted audience for all sorts of goods and services. Not to mention, McDonald created a huge campaign revolving around becoming America's "Trusted Friend" by supporting the Olympics, and creating a family-friendly atmosphere. Toward the end of the chapter, Schossler begins to get into the negative aspects of these marketing strategies and begins to pinpoint the controversy of these "ruthless businessman". Such advertising directed toward the youth is beginning to infiltrate public school systems, as ways businessman claim to fund money for the schools who desperately need funds. Schossler's book obviously sways to emphasize how the businesses have no incentive except to make profit. He supports that because of their ambitious goals, they are dismissing the well-being of the students, and not having any accountability with their social responsibilities as corporations. Appealing to children to invest in soft drinks and unhealthy fast food is detrimental to the health of these children for the rest of their lives. Obesity rates will skyrocket, and thus the public's well being is not supported. There are few arguments that can dispute that point of Schossler's book, and because of it, many bills have been passed under the Department of Education, to emphasize the elimination of unhealthy food available in public schools. Individual schools have taken action to eliminate such foods as well, therefore adjusting to the needs of society. Federal and state laws now mandate that calories be listed on all packaging and menus. //Fast Food Nation// has also affected the corporations. McDonalds in particular, have began to provide "healthier" choices for food, such as salads and fruits. Although Schossler had made many solid points on how fast food businesses have been reckless with the public, some of this criticisms were a bit exaggerated and harsh. For example, Schossler claims that these fast food businesses are becoming damaging to the environment, and are not acting as good role models for our country as businesses. The fast food system requires a speedy and cheap system. Therefore, investments in disposable utensils and packaging only contribute to the waste filling the junkyards in the world, contributing to environmental damages. This is very true, but for McDonald's defense, it was the first company to use paper packaging instead of styrofoam. Since paper is readily recyclable/reusable, contrary to styrofoam's reputation as degrading every hundreds of millions of years, McDonald has been not completely void of being a conscious company.