Preface

In 1998, McDonald’s hired Arcature LLC, our consulting firm, to help develop a global brand direction. The client was Charlie Bell, the Managing Director of McDonald’s Australia and Asia/Pacific region. Charlie’s career advanced quickly, and he soon became President of the International Division of McDonald’s. He asked us to lead a project to refine and help implement the global brand direction. But because of various organizational and cultural roadblocks, the recommended strategy did not get implemented. In 2002, at the biannual operator convention, Jack Greenberg, who was the McDonald’s CEO at the time, observed that, “Marketing is broken at McDonald’s.”¹ He announced that McDonald’s was initiating a search for a Global Chief Marketing Officer. After several months of searching for a candidate, Charlie Bell called. Using his true Aussie charm, Charlie asked, “How would you like to put into practice what you preach? Join the team and help us to turn around this business. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate that what you say works. Unlike most consultants, you would be accountable for implementation and the results.” Few consultants have this opportunity. I accepted the challenge.