Monthly Archives: December 2023

by | Thursday, December 28, 2023 · 7:57 am

McDonald’s has a New Restaurant Concept Inspired by Aliens!

It’s widely acknowledged that McDonald’s is a top global brand with thousands of restaurants around the world. But now the company seem to be focused on additional places not just on the globe, but in the universe. It’s launching a new concept cafe called CosMc’s (get it? Cosmic?) that will be in a much smaller space and four drive-through lanes for to-go foods only.

CosMc’s has a much smaller footprint than the traditional McDonald’s restaurant and does not have a dining area, but does have four drive-through lanes and a menu heavily focused on drinks and snack sandwiches. No burgers and fries in sight.

The first CosMc’s location recently opened outside of Chicago. According to a  McDonald’s news release “CosMc’s menu is rooted in beverage exploration, with bold and unexpected flavor combinations…”

The menu features unique iced drinks with out-of-this-world flavor, and foods such as Egg McMuffin, small sandwiches, ice cream, and snacks. CosMc’s is focusing on the growing trend of consumers who want take-out food, not dine-in. According to market research firm Circana, only 14% of fast-food meals are eaten in-stores, with the rest going to take-out foods. And, when it comes to beverages, Starbucks estimated that roughly 75% of its U.S. beverage sales are from cold drinks.

CosMc’s claims to have served millions of aliens, but that might just be marketing hype (really?)

We’re ready to blast into outer space, iced drink in hand!

(Note – CosMc’s is named for an orange alien mascot shown in past McDonald’s ads who tried to transport McDonald’s food back to his home planet.)

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Show video about CosMc’s: https://youtu.be/sGWGShv_UVA?si=1NPI4reQ6fxrcxsw
  2. Show CosMc’s website: https://cosmcs.com/
  3. What company is CosMc’s competing with using this menu?
  4. Discuss competition: Who are the direct competitors for this product? Indirect competitors?
  5. Divide students into teams. Have each team compare CosMc’s menu with a competitive menu. What are the points of difference (what makes CosMc’s menu different from competition)?
  6. Where can CosMc’s excel? Where can it fall short?

Source: Haddon, H. (6 December 2023). McDonald’s to launch CosMc’s, an alien-inspired restaurant serving slushes to-go. Wall Street Journal.

Leave a comment

Filed under Classroom Activities

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | Tuesday, December 26, 2023 · 7:52 am

Tesla Cybertrucks Get Delivered (Finally)

After more than four years since it was first announced, and two years behind the original production schedule, the first dozen or so Tesla Cybertrucks were delivered at a launch event held Nov. 30 in Austin, Texas.

Why is Tesla launching an electric truck? The truck market is considered the most profitable part of the U.S. auto market. The largest manufacturers are Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (Ram trucks) and all three now have electric trucks of their own on the market. 

How big is the market? These three sold nearly 1.7 million pickup trucks at prices that can reach $100,000. But only two percent of pickups sold in the U.S. were electric, and electric trucks were only 3 percent of the electric vehicle market.

The Cybertruck design is a distinct departure from other trucks; it has a stainless tell body and sharp angles

Even behind schedule and with full production not yet ready to roll, Tesla has more than one million trucks reserved ($100 refundable deposit). However, the original expected price of $39,900 has increased to $69,900 with a top of the line vehicle priced at $99,990. The target market is likely to be well-to-do technology fans and collectors, not fleet operators such as construction companies or businesses that need to modify the truck bed.

Shall we go for a ride?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Show video of delivery event: https://youtu.be/cX58W4_5hmw?si=nGx35Km85ZFJfv85
  2. View Tesla Cybertruck website: https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck
  3. Discuss the importance of clearly defining a target market.
  4. For the Cybertruck product, what is the target market?
  5. Divide students into teams and have each team develop a profile of a target market for Cybertruck. Include demographics, psychographics, behaviors, values, attitudes, etc.
  6. Based on the target market profile, what makes this product unique for these customers?

Source: Ewing, J. (30 November 2023). Pickup or lunar lander? Tesla’s Cybertruck enters a crowded market. New York Times; Kolodny, L. (30 November 2023). Elon Musk hypes Tesla Cybertruck at deliveries event in Austin. CNBC; Krisher, T. (1 December 2023). Tesla delivers first Cybertrucks. Associated Press; other news sources.

Leave a comment

Filed under Classroom Activities

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | Thursday, December 21, 2023 · 7:48 am

Using Tap Technologies to Increase Donations

During the holiday season, we often see Santa and his helpers manning the Salvation Army’s Red Kettles. Usually, people will contribute their spare change into the kettle either entering or leaving a store. But, in today’s growing cash-less society, people seldom have extra cash on hand to contribute to charity. This presents a problem for organizations such as the Salvation Army who rely on cash contributions in its annual Red Kettle program.

This year – problem solved! The Salvation Army is testing tap technology at its red kettles so that donors can give money with a simple tap of their credit card or smart phone. No dollar bills required (but still accepted!). For consumers, there is no learning curve as we are all used to tapping credit cards at retail stores and gas pumps.

This isn’t the only use of digital technology in the non-profit sector. Many other non-profits (plus the Salvation Army) promote paying using Venmo, PayPal, using QR codes and tap-pay options.

Online giving is increasingly being used and is effective with younger donors. According to a Giving USA report, 81% of millennials, 69% of Gen Xers, and 61% of baby boomers give their donations online. However, all is not good news. Due to many changes in the economy and technology post-pandemic, total giving by individuals dropped 6.4% from 2021. A cause for concern that the Salvation Army helps to solve using new technology.

The tap makes it easier to give – tap away!

 Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: What charities might they give to? How would they prefer to donate?
  2. Show the Salvation Army website: https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/
  3. Navigate to the donation page.
  4. While developing the marketing for charities is different than for-profit marketing, there are still similar techniques and media channels.
  5. OPTION: Have students research how to do effective non-profiting marketing.
  6. Example: Salesforce’s guide to nonprofit marketing: https://www.salesforce.org/resources/article/nonprofit-marketing/
  7. Example: Double the Donation’s guide: https://doublethedonation.com/nonprofit-marketing/
  8. Divide students into teams. Have each team select a charity to examine.
  9. For their chosen charity, have students access the Web site and analyze how the charity solicits and accepts donations. (Ex: American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity, etc.)
  10. Have each team develop a seasonal marketing plan for their chosen charity.

Source: Cha P. (9 November 2023). Salvation Army red kettle donations to kick off Friday. Chicago Sun Times; Smith, K. (7 November 2023). Twin Cities Salvation Army adds tap technology to red kettles to boost donations.  Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Leave a comment

Filed under Classroom Activities

Tagged as , , , ,