I’m Lovin’ It
OK, let’s get this out in the open. I like McDonald’s “McCafe” specialty coffees. Since my affinity for McCafes has become known, staff here at Hile have responded in a variety of ways, most of them uncharitable, including accusing me of being unsophisticated in my coffee tastes, or conversely, accusing me of thinking I’m “too good” for the regular brew most everyone else imbibes a couple of times a day. One staffer thinks it’s amusing to add the prefix “Mc” in front of regular words when talking to me, for example, “Monica, are you doing anything “McFun” this weekend? Very McFunny.
McDonald’s is trying to combat consumers’ preconceived ideas about their coffee by running television ads urging consumers to avoid “snobby” coffee shops and take advantage of McDonald’s. One such ad shows two guys sitting in a stereotypical coffee shop, classical music playing in the background. “We don’t have to call movies ‘films’ anymore,” says one guy when his friend tells him that McDonald’s has cappuccinos. “And we can talk about football.” “I like football,” says his friend, while peeling off his black “artsy” turtleneck. “I like sitting and watching football.”
Another development along these lines is a McDonald’s website aimed at the ultra-sophisticated coffee drinkers in the Seattle area: www.unsnobbycoffee.com. When you go to the site’s home page, there’s a button labeled, “Snobby coffee intervention. Help a friend kick their snobbish habit,” and the opportunity to play a pinball-type game called “hotshot pinball,” which is, well, fun. (I had to play a game to fully research this topic.)
The fact of the matter is that I’m a coffee wimp but not a coffee snob. I didn’t start drinking coffee until five years or so ago, when Primo Coffee House opened near my home in Ypsilanti. I like the sweet stuff, the caramel lattes and mochas (nonfat, of course, but with “whip” to make up for the lost calories) with a shot or two of espresso (never decaf) to charge my creativity in the mornings. I spend a good 4 to 6 hours a week relaxing, reading or working on my laptop at Primo, and the coffee is admittedly superior. The baristas know my name and preferred beverages, and there’s a definite sense of community. It’s not unusual for customers to greet each other by name or ask how a particular project is going.
Nonetheless, McDonald’s coffees meet a need, the way McDonald’s restaurants have their place on family road trips. A medium (grande anyplace else) iced mocha costs $2.79 plus tax, a significant cost savings. I can go through the drive-through and get one in under a minute on my way to work. Yes, I know I’m succumbing to the sedentary, I-want-it-now American lifestyle. But some days I’d rather spend my time doing other things than waiting in line for a caramel macchiato, like, um, writing copy for a client website.
How did I get started on the McCafes? A couple of summers ago, local McDonald’s franchises gave out McCafe iced mochas on Wednesdays all summer long! So, not only did I get the coffee I liked fast, I got it free. This really all boils down to marketing, which is what we at Hile think about on a regular basis. I am part of the McDonald’s target market—and I’m not ashamed to admit that their marketing worked on me.
You can scorn me all you want for my taste for McCafes. I will continue to enjoy them regularly. And you know what? They taste great with McDonald’s salty fries.
Hile Design is a full-service advertising agency based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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McLindsey wrote on January 30th, 2009 at 2:04 pm :
Well, I’ll admit I like their frozen McMochas…because they put two McShots of McSpresso in them.
Makes me McHyper.
Speaking of which… don’t they have their buy-one-get one McFree this afternoon?
julie wrote on February 11th, 2009 at 4:39 pm :
Ha ha ha. Funny. I like coffee too. I feel I need to pay more for my cup of coffee to truly enjoy it as an extravagance. Have a peppy day.
Maureen C wrote on February 24th, 2009 at 12:27 pm :
I will admit that I was rather excited when the golden arches started advertising their McCafe. I actually thought they might be serving better coffee beverages than before… as it turns out, they aren’t too shabby. But I do not enjoy the McAfterTaste so I guess I remain a true coffee snob who will continue to bring coffee everywhere I go in a travel mug!
Monica Getz wrote on February 24th, 2009 at 1:25 pm :
My McCafe consumption has gone down since I got an espresso machine as a Christmas gift from Hile (thanks, Dave!). But I can’t resist when I get a coupon from our local McDonald’s giving out free McCafes with the purchase of other McDonald’s stuff–or vice versa. And now every time I get an Egg McMuffin, I’ve gotta have the McCafe. What’s a McGirl to do?
Joe wrote on March 27th, 2009 at 4:07 pm :
I love everything about the McDonald’s McCafe coffees, everything except the goofy name.
Monica Getz wrote on March 27th, 2009 at 4:45 pm :
I know–the “Mc” prefix has become a joke all on its own. But I have to believe McDonald’s made a decision to use it positively rather than let naysayers use it negatively and thus define it. Anyway, I’m glad another coffee-lover gives McCafes a thumbs-up!
Dave wrote on June 18th, 2009 at 5:07 pm :
They’re way too McSweet!
Monica Getz wrote on June 22nd, 2009 at 3:21 pm :
That’s exactly why I like them. And why an order of salty McFries taste especially good with them!
Veronica wrote on March 13th, 2010 at 9:31 am :
Why buy overpriced coffee from McDonald’s when you can buy overpriced coffee from your local independent coffee shop and support small business?
Monica Getz wrote on March 15th, 2010 at 10:14 am :
You have a point–a good one. As you can read in my post, I do support my local coffee shop on a regular basis (my daughter and I go there every Friday morning before I drop her off at school as an end-of-the-week treat). But it’s the convenience of McDonald’s that calls me to get my mochas there at least twice a week. My favorite Golden Arches restaurant is just before my entrance onto the freeway–and the workers there are so nice to me!