McDonald’s growth shows us that growth hacking is not something new or something that only exists at tech companies. Of course, the terminology was different back then, but the concept and goals were the same.
The U.S. automobile industry was booming in 1959, and highways and interstates were being built across the country. McDonald’s brilliantly decided to place their new restaurants at every highway exit with their instantly recognizable golden arches.
This approach presented McDonald’s brand as part of the day-to-day of millions of people all across the U.S.
Another hack they’ve done was introducing “Drive-Thru” (a new concept at the time). Now it has become super easy for drivers who drive long distances to stop at a McDonald’s and eat in their car. Again, this seems like a simple idea and change, but this caused a massive increase in their customer base.
I find this as a great growth hack since McDonald’s analyzed where the market is going, and took a bold move to address their customers’ needs before they even know they’ll have that need.
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