If you own a franchise and you’re looking to boost sales, here’s an easy way to do it: Get your buns on social media. The Integrated Social Media Sales Impact study by Ogilvy PR and ChatThreads shows that people exposed to social media are up to seven times more likely to spend more money at “quick service restaurants.”
“We’ve found that, in the real world, social media exposure — by itself and more broadly when combined with other types of media exposure such as out-of-home, PR, or TV ads — is linked with two- to seven-times higher likelihood of consumption and actual spend increases for some QSR brands,” says Irfan Kamal, Ogilvy VP of digital/social.
The study offers no explanation for the extra spend. Maybe all that pecking at the keyboard makes a person hungry.
Faster, better. Fast-food franchises are scrambling to upscale their menus as quickly as they can. Just two months into his new job, Wendy’s CEO Emil Brolick is introducing higher-quality food (now there’s a novel strategy) to take on the “fast casual” places like Five Guys that are rapidly swallowing market share.
New Wendy’s items include two burger lines, the Dave’s Hot ’N Juicy and the “W” burger. These “midtier” offerings will cost about $2.99. “I do believe that there’s a significant opportunity in the marketplace for higher-quality products that are fresh made-to-order products,” Brolick said in a conference call.
Other fast-food corporations believe the same and they’re rolling out ad campaigns to convince consumers that their food is new and improved. Most of them are putting their head chefs in TV commercials to tout their quality.
They’d better hope it works, because right now McDonald’s is eating their lunch. While other chains grapple with Americans’ leaner spending habits, the mighty McD is expanding its lead. Sales at established restaurants were up 6.6 percent in September, double what analysts expected. McDonald’s “continues to evolve into more of a staple than a discretionary brand,” said one industry analyst. (This does not bode well for our national obesity problem.)
Eatin’ good in the neighborhood. Speaking of fast food and fat people, a new study suggests that they don’t necessarily go together — not geographically, anyway.
Thirty years’ worth of data gleaned from participants in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort shows that people who live near a fast-food outlet are actually no heavier than people who don’t. (Maybe because they’re jogging over to the local Jack in the Box instead of driving?)
McDonald’s got talent. It’s not exactly American Idol. It’s not even X Factor. It’s Voice of McDonald’s, a worldwide contest to find the burger flipper with the most golden pipes. The U.S. field has been diced down to 22. You can view videos by the semifinalists at the website and vote for your favorite. The songs consist entirely of Lionel Richie’s greatest hits, such as they are. (Who said you can’t get extra cheese at McDonald’s?)
The post For Better Fast-Food Sales, Get Your Buns on Social Media appeared first on AllBusiness.com
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