For all of you former Sociology students (or any liberal arts college students or grads, for that matter) who read Naomi Klein´s No Logo, how about this for a turn of events…? McDonalds recently opened their latest Tokyo outlet with (much to Naomi Klein´s chagrin I am sure) NO LOGO. No corporate branding including golden arches, Ronald McDonald, Hamburglar, Happy Meals, or McMuffins are present anywhere in this McDonalds. The only products served are the QP (Quarter Pounder) and the QPC (Quarter Pounder with Cheese) simply in red, white, and black packaging. The storefront itself also utilizes a slick basic red, white, and black color scheme.
From an immediate retail standpoint, this obviously is not a great use of resources. That being said, imagine what it will do for the QPC. What McD´s is doing is really attempting to make an iconic product out of the QPC by wagering an entire restaurant investment on it, and I would say that they are doing a good job based on the feedback about crowds. Additionally, with such a variety in the standard McDonald´s menu offerings, integrating a cohesive design element into the restaurant can be tricky. With this concept, they are giving themselves the chance to match a singular design theme to one product which ultimately is successful.
We often see the “no logo” look for bars and clubs and even some restaurants. It contributes to the “mystique” of a somewhere making all of its patrons feel a bit exclusive and in-the-know. To quote the great American movie with Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn Swingers, “saying that you have been somewhere is sort of like bragging that you know how to find it!”. I think that with the “undercover luxury” trends emerging, we will see a bottom-up adaptation of this theme with it potentially saturating the upper tiers of the hospitality industry.
What is your opinion?
Click here for official Japanese site.
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