It would be hard to make this up.

Over in the USA…

“US authorities say a Florida woman phoned 911 three times after McDonald’s employees told her they were out of Chicken McNuggets.”

(“Woman Calls 911 After McDonald’s Runs Out Of Nuggets”)

Now, reading the story a little more closely, I do have a smidgen of sympathy for the woman (after all, she had ordered and paid well in advance, apparently).

However…

…perhaps her response was a little inappropriate!

But looking at this further, there’s a marketing lesson here (leaving aside the evident fervor of one customer for Chicken McNuggets!)

It appears that McDonalds were running a promotion and it seems to have worked…

…after all they ran out of McNuggets!

And despite the current harsh economic climate, McDonald’s has been racking up impressive sales figures (in January “global comparable sales” increased 7.1%).

How have they done this?

“McDonald’s continues to appeal to customers as we offer high quality, affordable meal options and unparalleled convenience.”

In other words, they haven’t sat on their butts, they’ve carried on marketing strongly.

It ‘s the same with other fast food chains. KFC in the UK recently announced plans to open more restaurants and create 9000 new jobs.

So, in difficult times, it’s more important than ever to offer value to your customers.

Hey, even if people are still doing OK, there’s a “recession mentality” out there.  People are cautious.  They will still spend money…but they want to feel like they’re getting value for money.

I’m not suggesting that you start slashing prices and competing solely on price.

But more than ever you need to demonstrate to your customers the great value that you’re providing to them.

Not just new customers either.  Existing clients are absolutely your most precious asset.

How about doing something for them to demonstrate how much you appreciate them?

On that note, I wonder if McDonald’s will do anything for the McNuggets fan?