Whetting the Indian Belly - Part 2

In the last post on this topic the discussion was on how fast food restaurants (taking the example of McDonald's) have modified their communication strategy for the Indian market in order to reach out to their target market segment. In this post, the focus will be how the products of these restaurants have been modified/adapted to taste the Indian tastebuds. 

Chicken Maharaja Mac, the desi version of Big Mac

When McDonald's came in India it decided to not have any beef or pork items on its menu, for the 1st time. So out went Big Mac and came in Chicken Maharaja-Mac (and the vegetarian counterpart  McVeggie). Along with this, the use of eggless mayonnaise was also implemented. The overall menu went for an overhaul with McAloo Tikki, Veg. Pizza McPuff, Veg. Surprise (introduced a little later) and Chicken McGrill also being introduced. The former three became so popular that these were exported to the Middle Eastern markets. These three were introduced at very economical prices and later became part of the Happy Price Menu (similar to Dollar Menu in U.S.A.) starting at Rs. 20 and also including beverages and soft serves. Some international items like Salad Sandwich, Potato Wedges and Coke Float were retained for the Indian Menu. 

These Indian flavours drove people in crowds (one of the possible reasons) and  product trial itself contributed to a large portion of the company's sales in its initial years. However, McDonald's wanted people to make repeat visits and eat and drink even more. So, they introduced McSwirl at Rs.7 thus giving the local ice cream carts a run for their money; and acting as an instant dessert option for the regular burger-fries customers.

Different Vegetarian options catering to different tastes

The process of 'test-marketing' before launching a product was however, not fool-proof. McDonald's came up with McCurry Pan and Crispy Chinese burgers of which the former enjoyed moderate success while the latter failed miserably despite it being economically priced. Similar was the case with Shake Shake Fries which couldn't do well in India, though it had been successful in some of the international markets.

Shake Shake Fries being a successful product in Hong Kong

From McDonald's example it can be seen that it is important that the product being launched in a new market should go through extensive testing and there is no assurance that a product highly successful in a given region (or country) might succeed in the other. There is also a need for diversity of taste on the menu in a country like India as even within a state, the demand and the liking for a particular product may vary from store to store (due to diversity of population). Keeping these things in mind McDonald's brought the international versions of its products for its Breakfast Menu but modified them through spicing and sourcing methods. Only time will tell if this new strategy of theirs works or not.

Breakfast Menu India - Hot Cakes (from International Menu)

Breakfast Menu India - Cappuccino and Sausage McMuffin (from International Menu)