McDonald’s CFO Highlights Marketing’s Shift Into Key Business Growth Driver

According to McDonald’s CFO Ian Borden, global CMO Morgan Flatley has successfully reshaped the role of marketing within the company. Previously seen as an unclear function, marketing is now acknowledged as a prominent driver of growth as reported by Marketing Week.

Speaking at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity on Monday, June 17, Borden said, “We spend a lot of money on marketing, and it’s one of the most important investments we make as a business to drive growth.”

This perspective marks a significant shift from a few years ago when marketing was considered “a black box” and “a nebulous part of the organization,” as highlighted by Borden.

However, significant efforts have been made by Flatley and her team to inform and guide McDonald’s business leaders about the tools and data that assess marketing effectiveness. The company has been focusing on ensuring consistent metrics are used throughout the organization to measure results by improving coordination between various marketing teams.

Early last month, the fast-food giant unveiled its strategy to reallocate funds toward digital marketing, outlining plans to invest “hundreds of millions” in digital innovation. This initiative includes enhancements in new ordering platforms, personalized experiences, and loyalty programs.

At the time of this announcement, Flatley said in a message sent to employees and franchisees, “We have already begun to evolve our marketing approach in many markets by balancing our traditional mass media spend with investment in digital marketing capabilities that personalize the customer experience.”

In a system message that was seen by Restaurant Business, Tariq Hassan, McDonald’s U.S. chief marketing and customer experience officer, and Whitney McGinnis, U.S. chief information officer, said, “Maintaining our leadership position requires modernizing our marketing model to personalize how we reach, serve and connect with our fans.”

Hassan and McGinnis shared that the franchisee leadership will collaborate with the company on integrating digital marketing expenses into the budget and incorporating these changes into McDonald’s U.S. plans for 2025.

They said, “We have an exciting opportunity to take our marketing strategy to the next level. This funding model will help us better understand consumer behavior and optimize customer lifetime value, all while maintaining systems for data management, network security and data storage.”