McDonald's has launched a new brand called CosMc's, which focuses on retro-themed drinks. The first branch of CosMc's has attracted long queues of customers eager to try the new offerings. The brand aims to tap into the market for specialty coffees and drinks, which has been dominated by Starbucks. The menu includes breakfast sandwiches, desserts, and snacks, but the main focus is on a wide variety of drinks with unique flavors and colorful presentations. Customers can customize their drinks with syrups, flavors, and trendy tapioca pearls called boba.
The CosMc's brand is named after a cheeseburger-obsessed orange alien mascot that was featured in McDonald's advertising in the 1980s. The yellow-and-purple design of the brand is meant to evoke nostalgia. However, the real appeal lies in the extensive list of drinks that are designed to be visually appealing and shareable on social media platforms like Instagram. The brand is currently only available through drive-through service, and during the initial launch, customers had to wait for over an hour to place their orders.
McDonald's has recognized the potential of the beverage market and aims to improve its offerings in this area. The company has historically focused more on burgers and fries, and its McCafe brand did not gain much traction in the US market. By introducing CosMc's, McDonald's hopes to attract customers who are looking for unique and customizable drinks. The brand's retro theme has also been successful in attracting customers who are drawn to the nostalgia of the 1980s.
While some marketing experts question the need for a separate brand to sell coffee and customized drinks, McDonald's sees the potential for higher profit margins in this market. The prices of the drinks at CosMc's are higher compared to traditional McDonald's offerings. The brand's standalone locations with drive-through service allow for faster turnaround times and a more efficient business model. Despite the long queues and initial popularity, it remains to be seen whether CosMc's will have staying power in the competitive beverage market.
Overall, McDonald's new brand CosMc's has generated excitement among customers, with long queues forming outside the first branch. The brand's focus on retro-themed drinks and customizable options has attracted customers who are looking for unique and visually appealing beverages. McDonald's aims to improve its presence in the beverage market and compete with established brands like Starbucks. While the success of CosMc's remains uncertain, the initial response from dedicated McDonald's fans has been positive.
Original news source: CosMc's: Customers flock to McDonald's new retro drinks brand (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Each pair will be given a few minutes to read the article. After that, one student will summarize the main points of the article to their partner. Encourage them to use their own words and focus on the most important information. After both partners have had a chance to share, bring the class back together and ask a few students to share their summaries with the whole class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will discuss and come up with their opinions on the following questions:
1. Do you think McDonald's made a smart move by launching the CosMc's brand?
2. Do you think the focus on retro-themed drinks will attract customers?
3. Would you be willing to pay more for a customizable drink at CosMc's compared to traditional McDonald's offerings?
After the groups have discussed, ask a representative from each group to share their opinions with the whole class.
– Sketch It
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper and a pen. Instruct them to choose one element from the article (e.g. the CosMc's logo, a retro-themed drink, the long queues) and sketch it on their paper. After a few minutes, have the students share their sketches with a partner and explain what they drew. Encourage them to use descriptive language to explain their sketches.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g. retro-themed, customizable, traction, profit margins). Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and choose a word from the list. Without using any words, they must draw a picture to represent the word and their team members must guess what the word is. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Instruct the students to think about the future of the CosMc's brand. Will it become a popular and successful chain, or will it struggle to compete with other brands? Give the students a few minutes to write down their predictions. Afterward, ask a few students to share their predictions with the class and encourage a discussion on the reasons behind their predictions.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
The main focus of McDonald's new brand, CosMc's, is on retro-themed drinks.
McDonald's chose a retro theme for the CosMc's brand to evoke nostalgia and attract customers who are drawn to the nostalgia of the 1980s.
Customers can customize their drinks at CosMc's with syrups, flavors, and trendy tapioca pearls called boba.
The potential benefit for McDonald's in entering the beverage market is higher profit margins compared to traditional McDonald's offerings.
McDonald's introduced a separate brand for coffee and customized drinks to tap into the market for specialty coffees and drinks, which has been dominated by Starbucks.
The prices at CosMc's are higher compared to traditional McDonald's offerings.
The advantage of CosMc's standalone locations with drive-through service is faster turnaround times and a more efficient business model.
The initial response from dedicated McDonald's fans to the launch of CosMc's has been positive, with long queues forming outside the first branch.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
McDonald's has launched a new brand called CosMc's, which focuses on retro-themed drinks. The first branch of CosMc's has attracted long queues of customers eager to try the new offerings. The brand aims to tap into the market for specialty coffees and drinks, which has been dominated by Starbucks. The menu includes breakfast sandwiches, desserts, and , but the main focus is on a wide of drinks with unique flavors and colorful presentations. Customers can customize their drinks with , flavors, and trendy tapioca pearls called boba. The CosMc's brand is named after a cheeseburger-obsessed orange alien mascot that was in McDonald's advertising in the 1980s. The yellow-and-purple design of the brand is meant to evoke nostalgia. However, the real appeal lies in the list of drinks that are designed to be visually appealing and on social media like Instagram. The brand is currently only available through drive-through service, and during the initial launch, customers had to wait for over an hour to place their orders. McDonald's has recognized the potential of the beverage market and aims to improve its offerings in this area. The company has historically more on burgers and fries, and its McCafe brand did not gain much traction in the US market. By introducing CosMc's, McDonald's hopes to attract customers who are looking for unique and customizable drinks. The brand's retro theme has also been successful in attracting customers who are drawn to the nostalgia of the 1980s. While some marketing experts the need for a separate brand to sell coffee and customized drinks, McDonald's sees the for higher profit in this market. The of the drinks at CosMc's are higher compared to traditional McDonald's offerings. The brand's standalone locations with drive-through service allow for faster turnaround times and a more efficient business model. Despite the long queues and initial popularity, it to be seen whether CosMc's will have staying power in the beverage market. Overall, McDonald's new brand CosMc's has generated excitement among , with long queues forming outside the first branch. The brand's focus on retro-themed drinks and customizable options has attracted customers who are looking for unique and visually appealing beverages. McDonald's aims to improve its presence in the beverage market and compete with established brands like . While the success of CosMc's remains uncertain, the initial response from dedicated McDonald's fans has been positive.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think about McDonald's launching a new brand focused on retro-themed drinks?
2. How would you feel if you had to wait over an hour to place your order at a restaurant?
3. Do you like the idea of being able to customize your drinks with different flavors and syrups? Why or why not?
4. What is a specialty coffee? Have you ever tried one?
5. How do you think McDonald's can improve its presence in the beverage market?
6. Do you think the CosMc's brand will be successful in the long term? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever been drawn to a product or brand because of its nostalgia factor? If so, what was it?
8. How do you feel about the trend of sharing food and drinks on social media platforms like Instagram?
9. What is your favorite beverage to order at a restaurant? Why do you like it?
10. How do you think McDonald's can compete with established brands like Starbucks in the beverage market?
11. Do you think it's necessary for companies to have separate brands for different types of products? Why or why not?
12. Have you ever waited in a long queue for a new product or restaurant? How was the experience?
13. What do you think about the prices of the drinks at CosMc's being higher compared to traditional McDonald's offerings?
14. How important is it for a brand to have a visually appealing product in today's market?
15. Have you ever been excited about a new product or brand launch? If so, what was it and why were you excited?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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