Innovation succeeds best when it is culturally appropriate — a key principle in applied anthropology that holds true not just for development projects, but also for global business ventures.

Companies like McDonald’s, KFC, and Starbucks, when expanding internationally, must carefully craft strategies that fit the cultural fabric of the new market. McDonald’s, in particular, has become an emblem of international fast-food success, generating more than half of its annual revenue from outside the United States.

With over 40,000 restaurants spread across roughly 120 countries, the chain has proven its ability to adapt and thrive across diverse cultural landscapes.

One of McDonald’s most notable international stories is its success in Brazil, a country with more than 100 million middle-class residents, many of whom live in densely packed urban centers — an ideal setting for fast-food chains. Yet, McDonald’s did not succeed overnight in Brazil; it had to learn how to fit into the local culture before it could truly thrive.

When I visited Brazil in 1980 after a seven-year absence, I immediately noticed the arrival of two McDonald’s restaurants in Rio de Janeiro. Their presence signaled Brazil’s growing integration into global commerce. At first glance, these Brazilian McDonald’s outlets looked almost identical to their North American counterparts.

The menus were similar, the familiar quarter-pounders tasted the same, and even the white paper takeout bags with yellow lettering matched those used in the United States. The advertising campaign in Brazil aimed to introduce McDonald’s as something that could blend into the Brazilian way of life, yet it overlooked some crucial cultural nuances.

For example, the campaign encouraged customers to enjoy McDonald’s products during activities like driving in the car with the kids or traveling to the countryside — scenarios deeply rooted in the North American experience of highways, affordable cars, and suburban life. However, these didn’t translate well to urban Brazil, where parking is scarce, and even wealthier families with country homes couldn’t find a McDonald’s outlet outside the city.

Other suggestions targeted beach activities, promoting McDonald’s as the perfect snack after a swim or while watching surfers. But these missed the mark culturally, as Brazilians tend to view the beach as a place for cold foods — beer, soda, ice cream, or ham and cheese sandwiches — rather than hot, greasy hamburgers.

Brazilians associate the beach with “cold” and hamburgers with “hot,” and they generally avoid hot foods by the sea.

Another mismatch was the suggestion to eat McDonald’s products while working at the office. In Brazil, the main meal of the day is lunch, and it’s often a long, leisurely event, sometimes provided by the company or enjoyed at home with family during a two-hour midday break.

Suggesting that children eat hamburgers for lunch also ignored the reality that many Brazilian kids attend school in half-day shifts and eat lunch at home. Some ad suggestions, such as eating while waiting for the bus or at the beauty parlor, reflected daily urban life, but they weren’t settings particularly compatible with hamburgers or fish sandwiches.

Moreover, middle-class Brazilian homes often have cooks or maids who prepare meals and snacks, reducing the need for fast-food convenience. While suggesting McDonald’s as a snack while watching television made sense —Brazilians are avid TV watchers — families could just as easily ask the household cook to prepare something fresh.

Where McDonald’s truly found its cultural niche was in understanding the rhythm of the Brazilian week, especially the cook’s day off, which is typically Sunday. On Sundays, middle-class Brazilian families living along the coast often go to the beach, enjoy plenty of beer, sit down to a full midday meal around 3 p.m., and then have a light snack in the evening. This light evening meal became the perfect window for McDonald’s.

Over time, families began flocking to McDonald’s on Sunday evenings, integrating it naturally into their weekend routines.

As McDonald’s expanded over the decades, it grew not only in Brazilian cities but also into suburbs and shopping malls. Teenagers adopted it as an after-school hangout, and families increasingly saw it as a go-to for evening meals.

Importantly, the fast-food giant did not attempt to revolutionize Brazilian eating habits.

Instead, it succeeded because it adapted to them. The key contrast with North American patterns is that in Brazil, the evening meal is lighter, and McDonald’s increasingly catered to that need rather than focusing on lunchtime sales.

Once the company understood that greater profits lay in aligning with Brazilian cultural habits instead of trying to Americanize them, its advertising and menu offerings shifted accordingly.

Today, with over 1,084 outlets in Brazil, McDonald’s appeals to local tastes by offering menu items like rice and beans, cheese bread (pão de queijo), and even a McDonald’s version of feijoada, Brazil’s beloved black bean stew. This success story illustrates a broader truth: companies that respect and adapt to local cultural patterns are the ones that thrive internationally.

Rather than forcing change, McDonald’s in Brazil found its place by fitting in.

Written by Conrad Phillip Kottak

Reprinted from: C. P. Kottak, Anthropology: Appreciating Human Diversity (AAHD).  New York: McGraw Hill 2025 Release, pp. 52-53.

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