This blog is a comprehensive guide on fast food advertising. Here you will learn various traditional and digital ways of advertising, about some of the best fast food ads, and some of the misleading fast-food ads.
Fast food has become a big part of our lives. There is no surprise that people now are consuming fast food more than ever. The first thing that went to your mind when you think of fast food is the brand name.
That’s the power of fast food advertising. Since the fast-food industry is huge, it is important to apply fast-food advertising strategies that help you be heard, seen, and loved
There are several options for people to choose from. To cut through this competition, you need to give your brand an extra topping of advertising. This will make your brand look rich and appealing to your target audiences.
In this article, we will explain to you all about advertising for fast food brands. So, grab a packet of fries and read on.
Some Surprising Statistics on Fast Food Industry
A report by Statista shows that the greatest number of fast-food service restaurants are in California, while Wyoming contributes for the least. Technical advances and innovative ideas have brought numerous rivals into the domestic market in recent years.
This sector’s gross sales in the U.S. in 2019 surpassed 273 billion U.S. dollars. As per the Pew Research Center, there are 50 million Americans who eat fast food daily. That’s around 1 in 7 individuals.
In 2019, the fast-food industry had employed around 3.88 million workers. As per a report by Businesswire, by 2027 the global market for fast food is projected to hit $931.7 billion.
These statistics are reason enough to give your fast food brand a taste of advertising right? Now let’s see various forms of advertising that you can use for your fast-food brand.
Why is Fast Food Advertising Effective?
Any type of advertisement is aimed to reach maximum audiences and generate greater sales. Similarly, fast food advertising is aimed at reaching people to fulfill their food choices, especially the taste of adolescents and young children.
Fast food companies spend a huge amount of money on their ad campaigns to convince their target audiences to buy their products.
Brands use effective advertising techniques to attract more customers towards them by claiming varied things. It can include health and nutrient claims, attractive colors and photographs to attract them, using memorable slogans, giving away gifts and prizes, sale or price discounts, etc.
So, fast food advertising can work wonders if done carefully. Fast food advertisements can be in varied forms such as television commercials, print ads, billboards, online video ads, etc.
Moreover, food advertising always excites the audience. I can tell you from my own experience. I love McDonald’s products, so whenever a new ad comes up, I immediately go and try it out. Be it discounts on products or some giveaways, I never miss it. So, this is the power of ads.
Such ads get into the memory of the target audiences and influence them to take action.
How to Advertise Fast Food Businesses in the Traditional Way?
Run a Newspaper Ad
The longest-running form of advertising available for brands to promote their products and services has been through newspaper advertising. Reading about your new store opening or inviting customers for free ice cream with orders through newspaper ads can help your brand gain the attention of the audience.
Most people read a newspaper in the morning. Using fast food advertising strategies in national and local newspapers can help you attract a greater number of customers.
Go for a Print Ad in a Magazine
Magazine ads can also work wonders for your brand. There are many people who like reading detailed stories and getting a sneak peek into various topics. So, advertising through magazines can surely give you good results.
Your ads should be powerful and eye-catching. A bold graphic and an engaging headline will help you to catch the eye of your target customers thus making a connection with the readers.
For magazine advertising, brands can take a more targeted approach because of their precise readers. For a more targeted approach, brads can also select magazines from industries like food, travel, lifestyle, etc.
Think of Outdoor Advertising
You must have seen billboards, posters, TV screens, etc. showcasing various ads. These are all outdoor or out-of-home ads.
One of my favorite outdoor ads of all time is by McDonald’s. They created a zebra crossing using their French fries. Such ads are highly impactful to increase brand awareness and generate greater sales.
Distribute Leaflets/ Pamphlets
You can promote your brand through pamphlets as well. Moreover, you can also use them as a newspaper insert to get greater visibility. Furthermore, pamphlets in fast food advertising help in inviting customers to avail themselves of the attractive offers.
Do not forget to make it detailed and bright. Your brand should be able to give more and more information through it.
Go on Radio
You must be thinking who listens to the radio now? Will Radio ads help brands? Yes, it is helpful and a great strategy for fast food advertising.
It is an amazing technique to connect with your audience, increase your brand awareness, and boost sales.
Tip: Try to use catchy jingles in your radio ads so that people can easily recognize your brand through jungles.
Jingles are a great way of attracting customers.
You can choose the stations and shows where you want to deliver your ads. For example, if you aim to target the younger generation, you can go to the popular RJ Station.
Reach Masses with TV Ads
This is the most effective form of advertising. People spend their free time watching TV, so TV advertising helps your brand to reach a comparatively larger audience than all the those mentioned above.
TV ads place your products in the spotlight in a few seconds. Fast food brands spend millions of dollars every year on TV advertisements because of their quick results.
How to Do Digital Advertising For Fast Food Businesses?
How can Gmail Advertising Help Fast Food Brands?
Fast food advertising strategies are not complete without Ads on Gmail. They can be displayed at the top of the user’s inbox within the social or promotions tab. When your customers click on the ad, they get to watch the full version of it thus bringing them to your website directly.
You can use Google’s targeting open and reach billions of people in just seconds. Create a list of subscribers and send them emails using appropriate text, images, and videos.
If your subscribers like your emails, then you might get greater engagements. Remember, your customers will only purchase from you if they feel you are taking care of their needs, choices, and taste.
For example, promote your new combo meals to your target customers along with discounts. This is a great way to draw the attention of your customers towards your fast-food brand.
How Can In-Game Advertising Help Fast Food Brands?
Your fast-food customers are the younger generation and teenagers. In-game ads are an effective way of reaching your target audiences.
KFC, was one brand that took out a whole new product just for the gamers, KFConsole.
Customers loved this new product. Such types of advertising help to instill an urge among the customers to purchase your fast food products, especially youngsters.
How Does In-App Advertising Help Fast Food Brands?
In-App fast food advertising strategies are ads that appear while you use apps. It helps the brands to generate brand awareness and attract visitors to the website. They are like display ads. Here, you can use text, images, or videos to grab the customers’ attention.
A lot of brands use in-app ads to attract their customers to the website by using offers and promotional codes. Similarly, you can also use such kinds of ads to invite or inform your customers about an event that you aim to conduct.
One such ad was run by Dunkin Donuts. They ran an in-app banner ad within The New York Times iPhone application. It allowed customers to click on the ad to check out their coffee IQ.
Social Media Advertising For Fast Food Brands
Social media ads are the best way to reach your target audience. Not only this, social media platforms help you to develop a direct connection with the customers and get recognition in the market.
Below are a few social media fast-food advertising strategies that we recommend as a must-have.
Facebook Ads
One of the most immediate ways to influence the reach of your ads can be through advertising on Facebook. It offers great opportunities to target your ideal audiences.
To attract your best customers design personalized and attractive ads. You can use images, text, videos, carousel, story ads, Augmented Reality, etc. to attract customers to your website.
Subway used Facebook ads to promote their subway sandwiches. They used Artificial Intelligence to create dynamic ads for a foot-long sandwich promotion based on weather patterns. This instantly became popular and saw widespread sales.
Instagram Ads
This is the most popular platform for fast food advertising. Here brands pay to get into the user’s feed. The most common type of ads that you would come across on your feed is display ads.
These are promoted ads but look like a post. You can also create story ads, image ads, videos, carousel, ads, etc to advertise your products. Advertising on Instagram will not only increase your followers but will also attract visitors to your website. Just keep your creativity high.
Influencers are also revolutionizing the digital industry. Now, a lot of brands are taking the help of influencers to promote their brand and products to reach their audiences.
Related: What Is Instagram Influencer Marketing?
Snapchat Ads
It is one of the world’s most popular social networks.
Your target audience on Snapchat is mostly the younger audience. You can use various filters on pictures to attract the attention of your audience. This might encourage your customers to click on your ads. They can also download your app or visit your brand’s website at any time while the video ad is playing.
The best example is Taco Bell. It gained wide popularity among the snap chatters. This brand understood that Snapchat drives fun and exciting ad content and can be a great way to attract people. So, it developed fun campaigns where people could use taco as their faces.
Tik Tok Ads
Tik Tok gained immense popularity since the time it started. Brands have been using Tik Tok as an advertising platform to attract a wider number of audiences and boost their visibility. The TikTok Advertising network with advanced targeting and exclusive ad development features is unlike many of its rivals.
It helps you to tap into one of the most profitable networks of users if used effectively. Tik Tok also uses influencers to promote products as well as the brand.
One ad campaign that recently gained a lot of attention was the Burger King Whopper dance challenge on Tik Tok. This challenge was taken up by millions of people and gave an immediate boost to their Whoppers.
Twitter Ads
This is another platform where your ads can get viral instantly. When you advertise on Twitter you can gain more followers, brand visibility, and greater engagement.
Here, you can also showcase ads on your account and display them as the account to follow. Such kinds of ads help you gain brand awareness and more followers.
For instance, Starbucks always brings in a variety of flavors along with colorful ads on Twitter. Their twitter ads help them reach their customers more effectively thus boosting their sales.
YouTube Ads
Who doesn’t take advantage of YouTube to watch videos? I am sure everybody does. So, you can use display ads, in-stream ads, etc. on YouTube.
YouTube has a broad scope and efficient targeting capabilities which makes it an extremely useful tool for brands.
Make your video ads interesting and engaging so that your audience doesn’t skip your ads.
What are Some of the Best Fast Food Advertisements of All Time?
Thank-You Meals
Recently, McDonald’s came out with their ad series called Thank you Meals where they provided free meals to the frontline people. They offered free meals to all their first responders.
This was an attempt to showcase the positive attributes the fast-food industry has been following during the pandemic by offering free meals. Any front-liner or health care official could enter McDonald’s and acquire a free meal.
This kind of socially responsible ad gesture by the brand brings customers closer. The meals are not just free meals, they are an emotion for the people.
Moldy Whopper
This was a bold ad campaign by Burger King. They came up with a video of a Whopper decomposing everywhere on TV and social media. This initiative was intended to draw attention towards the shift from preservatives and artificial ingredients by the chain.
But featuring mold in a food ad violates all meal promotion rules. Transparency is loved by customers. Brands that show transparency and authenticity are trusted by the customers.
Wendy’s Breakfast
Wendy’s started their fast food advertising strategy with its breakfast menu ads at the beginning of 2020. Wendy invested around $80 million on ads just for breakfast last year. They used pamphlets as well as Twitter to promote their ads. They started by making their Twitter private and then launched coupons for free for the customers who followed the private account.
This campaign made Wendy’s receive around 10,000 follower requests in 36 hours.
They even came out with a hashtag on Twitter #WendysBreakfastBattle and encouraged customers to use it when they tweet.
They also asked their followers to click on a button that sent their Twitter account a direct message, which auto-responded to DoorDash with a coupon code.
A very strategic ad campaign made by Wendy’s turned it into a rising star in the breakfast section of the fast-food industry.
Burger King – Whopper Steakhouse Commercial, “Tennis”
Todd Perelmuter from Bizadmark worked on the Burger King advertisement. It was a steakhouse tennis commercial.
With such refined ingredients, the BK Steakhouse made it look a bit fancy.
Did you watch this ad? If not then watch it now. It’s amazing and hilarious.
How Can Fast Food Brands Target Generation Z With Their Advertising?
A large portion of the fast-food population is either youngster or generation Z.
One way it attracted kids was through free toys. The happy meals from McDonald’s are a great example of how brands are targeting the kids. The ads showcasing toys and kids celebrating the food attract all other kids. It also compels them to purchase their products.
Another way of attracting younger audiences is through rewards. Everyone love rewards right? When you are hungry and you see an ad where the brand promises an offer of buy one get one free surely attracts you.
Provide gifts, saver combo ads, and encourage your customers to tag your brand on social media. You can also share a few posts on your social media channels to try your brand. Creating an impression on the youngsters with your advertising will make you popular.
Decoding Popular Fast Food Brands’ Advertising Techniques
McDonald’s
“I like to get people fired up, fill them with zeal for McDonald’s, and watch the results in their work.”- Ray Kroc
McDonald’s is one of the leading fast-food chains and is doing great advertising. They never leave any opportunity to get the attraction of their target audiences.
They have adapted to all the changes and come up with great fast food advertising strategies. They take the help of influencers for digital marketing and advertising their product.
Not only this, but they also come up with cool clothing and accessories related to their brand. It keeps their customer excited and attracted to the brand. Recently, Travis Scott was also seen promoting their meals which made the brand very popular.
Related: 5 Rules For Creating An Effective Digital Marketing Strategy Like McDonald’s
Subway
This brand not only brings in innovative fast food products but also keeps customers’ health in mind. Subway has adopted a variety of advertising techniques that encourage people to order fast food online. They also entertain their customers with a lot of informative and entertaining content which keeps them intact.
Subway also uses short video ads on its social media channels to explain the way subway products are made. This kind of advertising helps the customers to understand how healthy their products are.
They also came up with a lot of ads for the frontliners where they asked people to show support by buying a sub. Subway has been creating great impressions with its ads.
Starbucks
“Starbucks has a role and a meaningful relationship with people that is not only about the coffee”- Howard Schultz
There is always too much hype about Starbucks. Starbucks is the place for coffee lovers and they have been doing an amazing job with their ads.
With plenty of options on their menu and a variety of ads, they keep grabbing the attention of their customers. Their high-quality images and TV ads make you feel like trying its product.
They come up with ads where they show support for a lot of causes and help those in need. They also keep their audience informed about all the practices that the brand follows.
Giving the customers an inside look into the brand, helps the customer to know more about the brand, and stay connected to it.
Dominos
They have always come up with creative ideas for their ads. They keep their target customers in mind whenever they design any fast food ad campaign.
Dominos use pamphlets to promote and give information about their brand. Their content mostly has zoomed images of pizzas on social media that make people carve for it. They use ads to inform people as well as entertain them.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell often uses newspapers and pamphlets whenever they introduce a new product in the market. They also use radio ads to drive visitors to their restaurants.
Taco Bell also uses digital platforms to advertise its brand and products. They do mobile advertising to encourage buyers to get information about the limited period offer. Such ads create excitement among customers which encourages them to visit stores thus increasing their brand awareness and sales.
Should Fast-Food Advertising Be Banned?
The fact is true that fast food advertising has a lot of influence on the consumption pattern of its target audiences. People tend to consume more than they usually do when they watch such ads. This is a growing concern among the parents of adolescents these days.
The wide exposure of fast foods in ads promotes overconsumption and stimulates the intake of high-calorie ingredients which further leads to obesity.
The banning of fast food advertising is a concern worldwide. The main reason is the growing obesity rate. Other factors include health issues because of the consumption of fast food.
These are not the sole reasons to ban fast-food advertising. There are many fast-food chains that are offering balanced diets, high protein foods, salad bowls, etc these days. McDonald’s and Pizza hut are examples of these.
Somewhere down the line, parents are also responsible for growing obesity in children. They should take charge of what their children are eating and not blame the advertisements for growing obesity. It is one’s personal choice to he-she wants to consume.
So all problems and health risks can be mitigated if people practice self-control. That does not mean fast food advertising should be banned.
3 Misleading Food Advertisements
No doubt advertisements of fast foods go viral in a very short duration. There are many ads that have misleading claims and messages that people rarely care about.
Here are a few examples of misleading ads that you need to look at.
KFC
KFC is a well-known brand and is popular among all of us. It claims that one of its original recipes with chicken breasts has only 11 grams of carbohydrates and 40 grams of protein. It also claimed that eating 2 chicken breasts was healthier than eating a Burger King Whopper.
These claims would have been true if the consumers took the breading and skin off from the fried chicken breasts before eating them. But they failed to include this nutritional information in its advertising.
KFC was charged by FTC in 2004 with false claims about its relative nutritional value and for claiming its chicken as compatible with a low-carb/high-protein weight loss program.
FTC found that two fried chicken breasts have more calories and have three times more trans fat and cholesterol than a Whopper.
So, KFC should not have exaggerated things to promote sales. It made the brand lose its impression in the target market. It was also criticized by the customers.
Dunkin Donuts
This brand was caught falsely advertising ground beef as steak in the “Angus Steak & Egg” sandwich.
Its commercial starring sandwich not only mentions steak repeatedly but also emphasized that “steak” is the most important ingredient.
The “Angus Steak” Dunkin is a mixture of ground beef, fillers, and artificial flavoring and not the steak.
So, a brand should not fake its product to gain popularity. Instead, tell your customer what you aim to offer them. Faking your product might put you in trouble.
Kelloggs
Frosted mini-wheats by Kelloggs claimed its cereals to be clinically proven to improve kids’ attentiveness by 20%. FTC expressed lots of concern over several assertions produced by Kellogg.
It found that eating frosted mini-wheats is like having water in breakfast.
Moreover, the claim overstated the results. The average attentiveness of a child eating cereal in breakfast was only improved by 11% while the brand said it was 20%.
For a brand’s success, trust is the most important thing, and stating false things might take away the trust of the target audiences.
8 Fast Food Advertising Tips to Make People Come Looking For You
1. Conduct a Good Research
Creating ads that last in the customer’s mind for a longer time is not easy. For that, you need to conduct good research and understand your customer’s needs and interests.
If you want your ads to be effective, you need to target ideal audiences who are interested in your products and services. It should be informative and should speak everything about your brand.
2. Add Storytelling
An important aspect of any successful advertisement is storytelling. Display your ads with an emotional tone. when you tell your brand’s story you should develop a connection with your target audiences.
Emotional effect and relatability are the two components that can help your ads stay in the mind of your audience for a long time. An emotional connection with a brand lasts for longer.
3. Use Geo-Fencing
Have you ever noticed that you start getting ads related to a store you just visited? This is geofencing and is used by brands to attract customers through online ads. This allows brands to target customers based on their physical position.
It also helps the customers to know the store location thus increasing the store visits. Effective geo-fencing enables better customer engagements with your brand.
4. Get Creative
Customers love creative brands. It helps you to create a brand image and stay in the minds of the customers.
The more creative your ads are, the more popular you will be. Be as creative and interesting as you can be to grab the attention of your customers.
When you come up with creative ideas, your customers get impressed by your efforts thus increasing your followers and sales. Be it traditional or digital, your creative fast-food advertising will always remain in the customers’ minds.
5. Create Viral or Viral-like Videos
Create videos with a viral attribute in them. When you post video ads on your social media channels, you attract more customers. This way your video ads become viral.
Viral video ads help your brand to stay in the limelight thus increasing your sales. Use a lot of emotional content in your ad so that your customers relate to it.
Give your ads a catchy headline that persuades them to click on them. Thus, viral videos help you to boost your brand awareness and bring in more customers.
6. Fast Food Advertising Should Be Ethical
When you advertise your fast-food brand, remember not to over-exaggerate it. Be genuine in your approach.
When you stay ethical in your approach, you attract more customers. It makes your customers feel that you care for them and their health.
So act responsibly and maintain your brand reputation in the market.
7. Place Billboards Even Digital Ones
Placing a billboard with juicy and delicious meals is indeed a great strategy for brands. It creates a tempting experience for the people who see it. It also influences them to try out the products.
For instance, imagine a scenario where your customers are stuck in a car during traffic and are hungry. Seeing your billboard will make them rush to you and try your products.
8. Use Attractive Colors
Have you ever noticed that numerous fast-food chains use the same colors in their logo design? Take the example of Mcdonald’s and Pizza Hut.
They use the color red in their logo. Now you might be thinking, why is it so? Because it awakens the appetite and encourages the consumption of food.
Red evokes a sense of urgency and allows people to make necessary buying decisions. So, your brand can also try it.
Are You Ready To Order Fries+Advertising Combo?
Over the past few years, the fast-food industry has seen a spike in demand. And in the coming times, we are going to see a rising trend in fast-food consumption.
Therefore, your fast food brand advertising should be robust to stand out from the crowd.
If you want some ideas to advertise your fast-food brand, just give us a call. We will be happy to help you.
More Customers. Less Effort. Need Expert Help?
Some Delicious FAQs:
My Sale is Mostly Local, Why Do I Need Digital Advertising for That?
Digital advertising isn’t just relevant for a global reach and visibility. It is as relevant for local reach and visibility too. Through digital advertising platforms like Google My Business, you will be able to reach your local audience and increase your footfall.
How Can I Start Digital Advertising for My Fast Food Brand?
You first need to understand the industry you are operating in and the market environment you will be functioning in. Then, you can either consult a marketing and advertising agency or hire an in-house advertising team.
Doesn’t Fast Food Sell Itself? Why Should I Invest in Digital Advertising?
Sure fast food will sell itself if it complies with the quality and taste that the customers desire. However, it will be sold only if people know about your brand. That is where digital advertising comes. It will help you be heard, be seen, and be loved.
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