McFlurries and Global Product Adaptation

I didn't start out planning to search out the McFlurry in each country... it just happened! Toward the end of our first week in Chile, we found a McDonald's and everyone decided ice cream sounded delicious. A group of us ordered a McFlurry. It soon became a tradition.

McFlurries in Vina del Mar, Chile

Featuring: Oreo

I've had a McFlurry before in the states, but this one in Vina del Mar was particularly tastey! The McDonald's in Vina didn't offer multiple types of McFlurries. They offered an Oreo McFlurry. This comprised vanilla softserve ice cream with Oreos--either chunks or finely crushed Oreos. The Oreo McFlurry can be marketed to anyone--any age or lifestyle--because it has become a classic cookie. It was interesting because throughout South America, the Oreo is sitll marketed as "America's favorite cookie". South American McDonald's all had separate ordering counters for ice cream. McDonald's softserve ice cream is a big selling item in these countries!

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McFlurries in Rio de Janerio, Brasil

Featuring: Ovaltine

When we got to Rio de Janerio, Brasil, there was a McDonald's a few blocks away from our hotel. They advertised them the same way that Chilean McDonald's did--they had a separate area of the ordering counter where you specifically ordered ice cream. There was a poster on the main ordering board of a McFlurry with the words describing the mix. There was also a sign by the cash register with a picture of the McFlurry and a small description of the topping. They also had the same packaging. McFlurries came in short and wide styrofoam cups.

Along the Copacabanna Beach, there were McDonald's stands that sold only ice cream. These were targeting tourists and locals spending the day on the beach. When walking along the sidewalk or playing at the beach on a warm day, sometimes ice cream just sounds good.

The actual prodcut was different in Rio. In Rio, the McFlurry featured Ovaltine. This product was more chocolate-y. The topping was more powder-y, but could be mixed more evenly throughout the ice cream.

McFlurries in Lima, Peru
Featuring: White Chocolate

In Lima, there was the ice cream ordering counter, similar to Rio and Vina. The McDonald's advertised the same way with the big McFlurry picture on the board and by the cash register. Price, packaging and advertising were similar.

The McFlurry in Lima was a chocolate softserve with white chocolate pieces and a hot fudge sauce mixed in. This McFlurry seemed to be more sophistocated. Around the bowl, there was a cardboard wrap in browns and neutral colors, with cursive writing describing the product. This was different than the other McFlurries, which just were served in a styrofoam cup with no outside covering. Lima McFlurries had the smallest serving size.

McFlurries in Los Angeles, California, America
Featuring: M&Ms

We had a long layover once we arrived in the L.A. airport. Of course there was a McDonald's, and we decided to get ice cream together one more time. :) This was an American McDonald's, and they offered more than one type of McFlurry. They used styrofoam cups that are taller and thinner than the shorter, fat cups from South America. The product also came with a lid on top. The classic American McFlurry was the M&M McFlurry.

Back in America, the ordering board consisted mostly of words and prices. There were not as many pictures. There was no picture of the McFlurry. There was no separate counter for ordering ice cream. Perhaps this is because in America, people are familiar enough with the McFlurry that they don't need a visual reminder. Or perhaps it is because the McDonald's in America offer a wider variety of products. They may not have to market any one particular product as heavily at the front because they have a larger pool of products to draw from, and their customers are hit by other types of advertising all the time--both mass advertising with bill boards, and being hit personally on their computers with internet adverising and commercials on television.

The visual pictures in South America, however, were what sold me on the McFlurry every time! Before traveling ths summer, when I'd go to a McDonald's--which was a rare occassion, and I never went there specifically for ice cream--a McFlurry didn't naturally cross my mind. The pictures in South America seriously affected my buying decisions.

Consensus: McFlurries are delicious.