Photo by Neil Duckett

Photo by Neil Duckett

After my recent post “Retro Cool or Just Bad Brand Strategy” on the retro redesign of Loblaw’s “No Name” brand I discovered this post “Quarter Pounder Opens In Shibuya & Omotesandoon” a test McDonald’s is running in Tokyo.  The concept is minimalist and dramatic some would say generic, and certainly similar to that “No Name” redesign. The menu is correspondingly simple featuring: a Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal and a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal. According to Neil Duckett the stores seem to be doing well.

So the question remains is this Name Brand, No Brand or Private Brand or some stunt from McDonalds that lives in between the three. My first reaction is that is a brilliant stunt that capitalizes on the Quarter Pounder as brand, creating a boutique venue for it to shine in. So McDonalds=National Brand, Big Mac=Private Brand?

Photo by Neil Duckett

Photo by Neil Duckett