Before moving to the Philippines I had never heard of the fast-food chain called Jollibee, which serves a selection of common fast-food fare: hamburgers, chicken, sodas, desserts, and more. And my first impression was "how nice. a local fast-food chain trying to make it against the big dogs of fast food. Go you." How naive I was.
Jollibee is not a contender in the fast-food sector here; it's the nation's leader. Ronald McDonald is staying awake at night trying to figure out how to topple this empire that OWNs the Philippines and has been expanding to SE Asia and even to the USA (Californians may have seen the chain; New Yorkers need to go to Woodside, Queens to try it). I've lost a few hours of sleep myself trying to assess why and how Jollibee has the upper hand. Here's my 2 cents on the issue so far:
1. Localization. The beauty of McDonald's is that you can get the same burger and fries no matter where in the world you are, but it's based on an American palate, so if you're not an expat then it may not be the flavor you desire. Jollibee has localized its fare to meet the preferred tastes of the Filipino people: more seasoned beef, sweeter sauces, sides of rice, gravy, and more fish choices. In essence, it knows it's audience very well and caters directly to it. It also lists menu options using Filipino terms and runs its TV ads in the national dialect.
2. Hospitality. In true Filipino style, Jollibee's restaurants are filled with hospitality - from the courtesy officer who will open and close the doors, to the deliver of food to your table if it takes more than 1 minute to prepare, to the colorful and warmly lite restaurants, to the friendly staff. Jollibee WELCOMES you to their restaurants. McDonald's is just beginning to renovate a few of its stores globally to be more customer-friendly, but overall it's a place where you want to eat fast and get outta there. Jollibee is truly built as a family friendly environment where no one is rushing you out and it's ok if you bring all relatives.
3. A Better Spokesperson. Let's face it, Ronald McDonald is a creepy man in a cheap clown costume that he found in a dumpster in the late '70s. There is nothing endearing about him. I'd rather hang out with the Hamburglar than Ronald, and I'm likely to lose a burger in the process! The Jollibee Bee is chubby, warm, happy looking, fun, smiling, cute bee that everyone - adults and children alike - want to have their pictures taken with. The bee can be better compared to Mickey Mouse than Ronald McDonald, and it even started it's own children's TV show in 2008. I don't think Ronald McDonald would pass child protection services to be granted a children's show.
When I take a step back and look at these 3 points, what it really boils down to is that Jollibee delivers to its target audience. They deliver food that the audience likes and wants, in an environment catered to their comfort and values, and through messages and messengers that Filipinos relate to. And by valuing customization over globalization and standardization, they are dominating the Philippines' fast-food market. It doesn't hurt either to know that when you buy a Jollibee burger, you're giving money to a local corporation and not to "the man" - at least that's my 2 cents.
