Jahleel Barnes: I am a senior and I am getting my Bachelors in Business Marketing at Pacific Lutheran University. My thoughts of the fast food industry are half and half. Yes I do believe that fast food is food that should not be consumed. At the same time, whenever you are craving for a late night snack and nowhere is open, fast food can be a beautiful thing. Consuming an abundance of preservatives and high amounts of fat is not good for the body. It is very sad to see obese adults and children consume fast food products. They always complain about their self-esteem issues and how they cannot control what they put into their body. Trust me, I know from past experience that you have all the power in the world to choose what you want to consume. It is also sad to see individuals who have to use a walking assistance apparatus such as a walker, a cane, or even an electric powered scooter just to travel places. What I'm trying to say is that it's not completely the fast food restaurant's fault for the way people choose to eat. Even though they do advertise fast food consistently, it's ultimately the consumer's own choice on whether to be influenced by the advertisement or not. So in closing, yes fast food does not provide any nutritional benefits. At the same time, it is the consumer's decision on whether they should consume fast food and if they decide to choose fast food, the frequency of the consumption of fast food is also left up to the consumer.
Stian Abrahamsen: I am a junior and I am a foreign exchange student from Norway; studying here at PLU pursuing my degree in International Marketing. Though I miss Norway, I am having a great time experiencing the culture here in America. One of the many things that I love about the American culture is the cheap fast food! Don’t get me wrong, we have fast food chains like McDonalds and Burger King in Norway, but they are much more expensive than here in America. In addition, there aren’t nearly as many of restaurants open in Norway compared to the United States either. Because fast food chains are so accessible, it is an easy choice for a quick meal in a busy day. The problem with the fast food is that so much of it is unhealthy, but the companies don’t focus on that aspect in their marketing of course. That is one of the sides I want to concentrate on in this blog.
Ding Jianying: I am a senior and I am getting my Bachelors in Business Marketing at PLU. The fast food business is the most popular career in the whole world. Based on the name fast food, we know it is the fast way to help people solve their inner feelings of hunger. We know those people need fast food because they do not have enough time to meet their physical needs. So the fast food’s biggest clients should be some middle generation. However, it is very easily to see many kids and young adults eat at the fast food kingpin, McDonald. It is an important strategy for fast food corporations to market to various demographics in a way that is the most appealing to those specific consumers. On the other hand, once we have satisfied our stomachs, we then recognize that the food we had just consumed is not the healthiest of choices. As more consumers incorporate healthy lifestyles in their lives, we begin to see more and more fast food restaurants focus their strategies on healthy eating, such as Subway. Subway is a fast food company without the deep-fried food. Providing healthier food to their customers is subway’s mission and it is popular in modern society. So healthy is another important strategy for fast food companies to consider. Different companies have various ways to attract their customers. According to the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there are five basic needs of people. They are physiological, safety, belonging, esteem and self-actualization. In my personal opinion, these needs are the most important elements for fast food companies to analyze in order to develop their companies to extend their market share.
Thank you for reading our blog. We would greatly appreciate if you could provide your insights of the fast food industry.
Fast Food Crave
I think that this is a really interesting and important topic. I recently just heard from one of my professors that more people in America last year died from obesity rather than starvation. It would be interesting to find out the exact statistics of this as well as the demographics of the victims. I experienced what Stian talked about when I studied away in Granada, Spain. My professor there told us that when they put in a Burger King, the government demanded that the prices be raised so that less of the population would consume the fast food. Not once did I eat at Burger King because it was super expensive. It's really sad how in America, the healthier the food is, the more expensive it is. That has to change if we want rates of obesity/serious health issues relating to it to decrease. I look forward to your future posts!
ReplyDeleteI think this is an awesome topic you guys are tackling. It has been an on going battle in America, with minimal solutions.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to see what you might come up with in terms of ways for the American Fast Food Industry to become healthier while not taking away from the profits of the industry.
Since money is what drives McDonalds, Burger King, etc. to sell cheap unhealthy food.
From what I've seen from different videos online, U.S. has a much better selection of products than here in Scandinavia, especially when it comes to size. But it reflected well in the typical statement: "Everything is big in USA" :)
ReplyDeleteNice reflection on your blog theme. And you already get people interested in your blog and commenting. Good job! :)
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