You're McHired: Is Publicizing the Hiring of New Workers a Good Marketing Tactic?

April 21, 2011 -- Donald Trump fires people every week. And then to further emphasize his power over them he says: "Now go." And because this is all driven by the power of ratings and TV dollars, they stay on the payroll and come back on later in the show so the portion of the viewing audience that is attached to them will tune in again.

But that's TV. How about real life? McDonald's announced it was hiring 50,000 workers in one day in an apparent attempt to place focus on its status as a large employer and emphasize McDonald's jobs are vital to communities and families. Okay, let's give them the benefit of the doubt and accept their assertions as fact. In this column I'll just deal with the marketing tactic. Was it a good strategic ploy and will it grant McDonald's additional goodwill?

A close look at McDonald's as an employer reveals a complex cocktail of both positive and negative public opinion, company spin and unavoidable facts. Let's explore. On one hand not only is McDonald's the largest employer in the quick-serve restaurant industry but there is no denying that it offers opportunity. Some 70 percent of its restaurant managers and a third of its franchisees started out as crew members in the restaurants.

Minorities and women make up half of McDonalds workforce and more than a third of owner/operators. McDonalds's employs over 700,000 people so this is significant. It certainly beats my industry, advertising, which has come under heavy fire for under-employing minorities and not presenting opportunities for them to advance. (we'll save that for another column).

McDonald's would characterize their jobs as having competitive pay and benefits. By contrast detractors say that McDonald's offers low wages, little training and few benefits and has the highest turnover rate of any trade. Further they insist the 50,000 new jobs represent seasonal jobs that are offered by McDonalds every year.