I haven’t had MacDonald’s in years

Do you know why?

They don’t make healthy food
Do you know why they don’t?

They did in 2005.

McDonald’s launched a salad range.

Why?

→ To capitalize on the healthy eating trend.

But it failed miserably. because the move was:

1. Surface-level strategy
Customers craved burgers, not salads — they loved the greasy taste.

2. Ignored customer needs
They didn’t research why people weren’t into healthier options.

3. Lack of design thinking
They just planned according to trend. Planning leads to unexpected failure.

But in the last decade, they have started improving quality of their ingredients.

The lesson:
Don’t just plan — planning is for coordination and allocation.

Instead integrate design tools and methods that I use to reveal what planning hides:

- Customer needs
- Hidden barriers
- Real opportunities

Innovation isn’t about following trends. It’s about deep understanding.

Planning is about guessing which holes to avoid.

The moment you turn understanding to exercise you win.

Now, I am craving big Mac. I think I am going to have one soon.

P.S. When the last time you had your big mac?
And how is your experience with planning so far?

Thanks for reading,

Ahmed

Neostrateje if you want to score how well you solve business problems and deliver outcomes.