McDonalds Japan Goes No-Brand with Quarter Pounder Shops

Posted November 11th, 2008 by Steve Levenstein

Quarter Pounder - check your clowns at the door

McDonalds Japan is testing the waters of no-brand marketing with newly opened Quarter Pounder stores in Tokyo.

Generic packaging, minimalist decor, a two-item menu - and not a clown in sight! That goes for the website as well. McDonalds Japan's dip into no-brand marketing comes as quite a shock to those who see the global burger master as the poster child for brand name advertising.




Word is, curious customers are lining up to get into Quarter Pounder's stark black & red shops. When they finally squeeze through the door, menu choices can be arrived at by a coin flip: a Quarter Pounder with Cheese Set for 500 yen (about $5.15) or a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Set that goes for 600 yen (about $6.20). It's been noted by some that McDonalds burgers are smaller in Japan, so take that into account before judging whether either set is a good deal.




That's it! No shakes, no pies, no super-sizing, no Happy Meals. Not even a cheery "fries with that?" since they come included with each set.




Quarter Pounder may look low key, but make no mistake - the might of McDonalds' marketing has been put to good use promoting the concept. The "Quarter Pounder Big Secret" campaign utilizes ad venues from viral online marketing to hired hands handing out flyers to passersby.




Will McDonald's Quarter Pounder concept work? And, how long before trend-savvy Tokyoites realize that beneath the shiny new wrapper is the same old burger? (via Neil Duckett and Meta no Tame)