5 ways McDonald’s boosted executive communications

Can internal communications play a role in a company’s rebirth?

At McDonald’s, the answer is yes, according to Liz Coffey, manager of executive communications and global internal communications for McDonald’s Corp.

In a new Ragan Training session, “Building a better executive communications presence,” you’ll learn how communications helped bolster the voice of its chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, as he helped the fast-food giant reclaim its marketplace mojo.

Several years ago, the hamburger colossus, which boasts 37,000 restaurants in 120 countries worldwide, was being hammered in the headlines, Coffey says. A typical one read, “McDonald’s has so many problems to solve, a muddled sense of mission.”

“These were some of the headlines we were seeing in the news every day,” Coffey says.

Even as Easterbrook focused on the business and traveled the globe visiting franchises, the company initiated the largest consumer research project in its history. It revealed that customers demanded more of the company, ranging from kiosk ordering to table service, but they still wanted the same friendly McDonald’s they remembered from years past.

“We’re unpretentious, and McDonald’s is a place where you can go to be yourself,” Coffey says.