A Tale of Two Companies-- Chick-Fil-A vs. McDonalds

While both Chick-Fil-A and McDonalds are successful fast food chains, their positioning strategies could not be more opposite. McDonalds positions itself as a low cost leader with high volume of sales and locations. Chick-Fil-A, on the other hand, positions itself as a premium fast food brand with premium products and prices and while it has high sales volume, its locations are carefully selected and much fewer in number than McDonalds. So the question is, which strategy is better? The answer--well, it depends! It depends on who you talk to, what the company is trying to accomplish, and countless other factors. Both the companies in the example are highly successful and much of this success has come from sticking with their positioning strategies. They did not try to be all things to all people, but rather narrowed their focus and efficiently used their resources to grow and succeed. Every business, both new and old, can emulate Chick-Fil-A and McDonalds and use positioning to its advantage.