How McDonald’s Spectacularly Failed with the McLean Deluxe
The public will not buy healthy food from McDonald’s
Even the biggest companies have spectacular marketing fails.
Along the lines of Coca-Cola’s New Coke fiasco, McDonald’s had a marketing failure with their “deluxe” line of foods in the 1990s.
McDonald’s tried to capitalize on consumer’s increasing demands for healthier foods. They created the McLean Deluxe, a healthier burger, which had a “ketchup, mustard, a whole lettuce leaf, pickles, a sliced tomato, and a reduced fat patty, all on a bakery style roll.” The McLean Deluxe was either far ahead of its time or out of touch with consumers. Ultimately, it was both, as the McLean Deluxe, well-intentioned as it might have been, was ridiculed and ignored by customers.
The health food industry can be traced back to the early 1900s, but it wasn’t until the 1960s with the health-conscious hippies that the industry really took roots. The 1970s led to the firm establishment of healthier foods in the larger food landscape. By the 1990s, the health food industry itself was soaring. The obesity epidemic also picked up enormous speed in the 1990s, and companies were scrambling to meet consumer’s increased health consciousness.
