McDonalds CRM effort won’t work

McDonalds is preparing to launch a full-scale CRM program later this year or early next year, according to a much-quoted report in Nation’s Restaurant News. It’s a solid report (full disclosure: I penned quite a few pieces for NRN a few years back), but McDonald’s may just prove to be a great case study for when a CRM program costs more than it helps. There are three kinds of consumers at issue here. We have Group One, which is those who love McDonald’s and are loyal customers; Group Two, which is those who detest McDonald’s and everything it stands for; and Group Three, which is those who are not wild about the chain but will quite willingly go there when it’s the best of weak options, such as when traveling and the choice is between McDonald’s and an entirely unknown local restaurant with a frighteningly empty parking lot. More