McDonald\'s

.....ritual and opens with McDonald's amazing success within the time frame of twenty-five years. The writer opens with rituals and the earnest aspect of it compared to plays where actors portray rather than believe in the actions they commit in scenes. While some may assume rituals and plays are similar in the sense of a performance, the author is quick to note differences. "Plays have audiences rather than participants; actors are only portraying something, whereas ritual performers- who make up congregations- are in earnest" (Kottak, 1978, p. 522).

There's a form of repetition as well in rituals that invite people to participate in what is traditional and cultural. It seems the article uses ritual to introduce the notion of tradition and culture in McDonald's. Through uniformity and consistency, some anthropologists define the act of getting food from McDonald's as a ritual. Like football and the act of cheering for a team. These actions can be interpreted as ritual because they carry meaning.

"On one level McDonald's is a mundane, secular institution- just a place to eat- but on another it assumes some of the attributes of a sacred place" (Kottak, 1978, p. 523). Looking at the behavioral uniformity experienced at McDonald's one can see how some may see sacredness in such an establishment. That sacredness is tied to devotion. People feel inclined to continue visiting McDonald's partly because most of their fast food restaurants look the same.

When everything is uniform from the food to the ambience, and the golden arches that adorn the outside area, it can inspire people to continue going for that semblance of normalcy and repetitive ritual. That repetitive ritual is shown through removing the guesswork of eating there. People know what they will eat, how much it will cost, and how it will taste. This kind of tradition was lacking before the introduction of McDonald's. The article moves from ritual, uniformity, and sacredness and transitions into McDonald's advertising.

Although their main focus are children and 'happy meals', they also advertise to adults. McDonald's makes sure to advertise for children during children's cartoons and for adults during football games and in the evening. Recently, McDonald's has aimed their advertising towards a global strategy, repacking their packaging with bolder colors. "McDonald's is overhauling its bags and cups with bright lettering and an updated take on its iconic Golden Arches. It is the chain's first global packaging overhaul in three years" (Wohl, 2016).

McDonald's desire to reinvent their image while retaining their traditional iconic imagery is what helps the company remain in its top position even amidst newer competitors. Their ability to convey community while hiding their marketing scheme is also notable as an effective means of brand building and creating trust and loyalty with their customers. Catchy jingles, popular celebrities, fun toys, they all make up McDonald's still effective advertising strategy that evolves as each year passes.

The mixed use of old and new symbols helps tie back to tradition while adapting to the new challenges presented by an ever-expanding market. American society is an evolving culture as well. The author makes a note of this towards the end of the article.