New Media's Impact on the Fast Food Industry: A ...
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Southern Illinois University CarbondaleOpenSIUC
Research Papers Graduate School
Spring 4-5-2017
New Media's Impact on the Fast Food Industry: AComparative Study of Taco Bell and Chick-fil-ADrew D. HoffmanSouthern Illinois University Carbondale, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/gs_rp
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at OpenSIUC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Research Papers byan authorized administrator of OpenSIUC. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Recommended CitationHoffman, Drew D. "New Media's Impact on the Fast Food Industry: A Comparative Study of Taco Bell and Chick-fil-A." (Spring2017).
NEWMEDIA’SIMPACTONTHEFASTFOODINDUSTRY:
ACOMPARATIVESTUDYOFTACOBELLANDCHICK-FIL-A
by
DrewHoffman
B.A.,WesternIllinoisUniversity,2015
AResearchPaperSubmittedinPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirementsforthe
MasterofScience.
DepartmentofMassCommunicationsintheGraduateSchool
SouthernIllinoisUniversityCarbondaleMay2017
RESEARCHAPPROVAL
NEWMEDIA’SIMPACTONTHEFASTFOODINDUSTRY:
ACOMPARATIVESTUDYOFTACOBELLANDCHICK-FIL-A
By
DrewHoffman
AResearchPaperSubmittedinPartial
FulfillmentoftheRequirements
fortheDegreeof
MasterofScience
inthefieldofProfessionalMedia&MediaManagement
Approvedby:
Dr.KavitaKaran,Chair
GraduateSchoolSouthernIllinoisUniversityCarbondale
April4,2017
TABLEOFCONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
LISTOFTABLES........................................................................................................................................................ii
LISTOFFIGURES.....................................................................................................................................................iii
MAJORHEADINGS
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................1
OverviewofPaper.....................................................................................................................................4
HowSocialMediaisBeingUsedinAdvertisingStrategies......................................................5
ResearchQuestionsandMethodology..............................................................................................9
HowBusinessesUseSocialMedia...................................................................................................11
HistoryandOverviewofTacoBellandChick-fil-A..................................................................15
ResultsandConclusion.........................................................................................................................21
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................................................33
VITA .........................................................................................................................................................................35
i
LISTOFTABLES
TABLE PAGE
Table1........................................................................................................................................................................25Table2........................................................................................................................................................................28Table3........................................................................................................................................................................28Table4........................................................................................................................................................................29
ii
LISTOFFIGURES
FIGURE PAGE
Figure1......................................................................................................................................................................26Figure2......................................................................................................................................................................30Figure3......................................................................................................................................................................30
iii
1
INTRODUCTION
Thepasttenyearshasconsistedofconstantchangeintheadvertisingbusiness,and
itcontinuestochangebecauseofmoderntechnology.Mobiledeviceslikesmartphonesand
tabletsnowaccountfornearly44%ofpeople’scomputingtime,nearlytwicetheamount
thanin2008.(Duncan,Hazan,&Roche,2014)Becauseofchangeslikethesecompaniesand
brandsarepresentedwithnewopportunitiesalmostdailybecauseofourmedialandscape.
Developingmedia,likesocialmedia,allowpeopletoexpresstheirthoughtsandemotions
towardsproductsandservicesfromthecontenttheyproduceontheirownpersonalsocial
mediapages.Agencieshavelearnedtousethiscontenttotheiradvantagewhenitcomesto
gaininghowtheconsumeractsandwhattheythinkaboutcertainproductsorservices,and
theyusethecontenttohelptheirclient’sbrandimage.Charminbathroomtissueisa
companythathastakenadvantageoftheconsumer’spowerfulvoiceonline.(Allen,O’Guinn,
&Semenik,2012)Charmincreatedandsponsoredanapp,SitOrSquat,tohelppeoplefind
qualitybathroomsawayfromhome.Peoplesimplyratelocalrestroomstohelpother
peoplelookingforaqualityplaceto‘go’.Anotherexampleofacompanyharnessingthe
poweroftheconsumerthroughnewmediaisthecompanyThreadless.OwnersJakeNickell
andJacobDeHarthadasimplebusinessmodel,letthepeopledecidewhatclothingthe
companymade.Byusinga‘likeordon’tlike’systemonlineconsumerspickedtheshirts
theywantedThreadlesstomakeandinreturnThreadlessgotconsumerapproved
products.(Allen,O’Guinn,&Semenik,2012)
Takingadvantageofnewmedialikethishasgivennewoptionstocompaniesto
reachtheirconsumers,makingthebuyingexperiencealotdifferentthaninyearspast,and
themorecompaniesthatexperimentandtrynewavenuesthemoreagencieshavefound
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thebenefitstousingthesenewoutlets.Companieslikethetwomentionedaboveare
engagingtheirconsumersandcreatingavirtualbrandcommunity.Thefunctionofan
onlinebrandcommunityhasbeendescribedasaspacethatallowspeopletoget
information,interactwithbrandowners,andtalktootherconsumersthatusethebrandall
overtheworld.(Gabisch&Gwebu,2011)Themoretheonlineworldgrowsthemorethe
valueofhavingastrongvirtualbrandcommunitybecomes.In2010itwasreportedby
Boa-VenturaandZagalothatparticipationfromconsumersintheseonlinecommunities
increaseupto15%everymonth.
Newmediahasfoundsuccesspartiallybecauseofthegobsofcontentcreatedevery
singleday.Businesseshavealsotakenadvantageofthiscontentaswellasaddingtoitby
creatingtheirowncontentonlineandonsocialmedia.Theadvertisingdollarsusedto
createcontentonlineandonsocialmediaaresubstantiallysmallerthanifyouwereto
createaT.V.spot.Becauseofthis,businessesarefindingnewwaystocreateentertaining
content,withoutbreakingthebanktodoso.Overthepastfouryearssocialmediaspending
hasincreasedbyatleast2billiondollarsannually.Spendingfor2017isexpectedtoexceed
15billiondollarsinNorthAmericaalone.(eMarketer,2015)Thissteadyincreasein
spendingcomesatacostthough,asthereisalackofmeasuringtoolstofindimpactof
advertisingonsocialmedia.Agenciescantrackthesuccessofadswithtraditionalmedia
andgiveanaccurateRIOreport,thatcan’tbesaidaboutsocialmedia.
Aservicethathasdefinitelybroadenedtheirscopeandtakenmorerisksofwhere
theyspendtheirmoneyisthefastfoodindustry.YumBrand,TacoBell,increasedtheir
online/socialmediaadvertisingspendingtoover20%in2013.Adominant70%wasstill
spentontraditionaladvertising,buttheremaining10%isspentonmediawherethe
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company‘cangoexplore’.(AdAge,2013)DecisionsliketheseledtoTacoBellbeingnamed
‘MarketeroftheYear’byadage(2013),an8%increaseinU.S.storesales,andbeinginthe
forefrontofconsumer’sminds.Theythoughtoutsidetheboxwiththeiradvertising,andit’s
paidoff.
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OVERVIEWOFTHISRESEARCHPAPER
Thisstudybeginswithananalysisofthepasttenyearsoftheadvertisingbusiness,
lookingforthetrendsandthedevelopmentsthathavegottenustowherewearenow.We
willthentakethatknowledgeandanalyzenewandupandcomingmediabeingusedinthe
fastfoodindustryincommunitiesbigandsmall.
Thebackgroundinformationwascollectedfromsecondarysourcesfrombooks,
journals,magazinesandonlinesourcestoplanthefinalportionofthispaper,thecase
studyontwofoodchains.TacoBellandChick-fil-Aaretwoverywellknownfoodchains
thatarespreadacrosstheUnitedStates.Botharesuccessfulintheareaoffoodthatthey
sell.So,howaretheyspendingtheiraddollarstogetthenamerecognition?Arethey
experimentingwithnewmediatogetmoreexposure?Whateffortsaretheymakingtostay
uptodatewithcurrenttrends?Howthesetwofoodchainsareusingnewmedia,andlook
intoothernewmediatheymightwanttostartusinginthefuture.
Alongwithbackgroundresearch,surveysandinterviewswillbeconductedinthe
twoCarbondale,Illinoislocationsofeachbusiness.Finally,wewillassesstheoutcomeof
thesurveytofindtheuseandimpactofsocialmedia.
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HOWISSOCIALMEDIABEINGUSEDINADVERTISINGSTRATEGIES?
Howissocialmediabeingused?Andhoweffectiveisit?Marketershavestruggledin
theearlyyearsofthisformofmediabecauseit’simmeasurable.Withtraditionalmedia,
agenciescangivetheirclientsreturnoninvestmentreportsthatshowhowmanypeople
sawtheiradvertising.Youcouldplaceanadontelevisionatcertaintimeandgettheresults
youwantedbecauseyouhadagoodideaoftheoutcome.Thelackofknowledgeonthe
successofsocialmediaadvertisinghasmadebusinessesmoreafraidtospendtheirad
dollars.In2005,below5%ofadvertisingbudgetswasbeingspentondigitalmarketing
becauseofthisuncertainty(Lambert&Stephen,2016).Astheyearspassedsodidthis
uncertainty,butby2010,70%ofNorthAmericamarketerswereusingdigitalmarketing,
whichwasa14%increasesince2008(Beer,2010).Therewasareported56.2%increase
insocialmediaadvertisingspendingbetween2013and2014.Theincreaseinspendinghas
paidoffformarketers,asthesocialmediaengagementhasdrivensales(eMarketer2015;
Ogilvy&Mather2011).
Eventhoughdatacan’tbecalculatedbyhowsuccessfulsocialmediaadvertisingis,
thatdoesn’tstopmarketersfromfindingbenefitsinthemedium.Intheearly2000sthe
Internetshowedmarketersthattherewasalotofpotentialtofindoutconsumerbehaviors
throughhowtheyexpressedthemselvesonline(Lambert&Stephen,2016).Thenewonline
platformswereplacesanyonefromanywherecouldexpresstheirthoughtsandsell
anything.Whatwasbeingpostedwasafreelookintotheconsumer’smindandmarketers
quicklyrealizedtheycoulduseittotheiradvantage.Theonlinecommunitycouldbe
understoodbyhowtheycommunicatedwithothersonline.Wordofmouthcommunication
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onlinewasaffectingallmediaplatforms,includingtelevisionconsumption(Godes&Myzlin,
2004).
Wordofmouthadvertising/marketingwasn’tallsocialmediaandtheInternetwas
abletoproduce.Findingoutthecustomersbehaviorsthroughavailablemarketdataalso
helpedmarketersunderstandthebuyinghabits.Shoppingdecisionsbecamebetterwhen
consumersbeganusingtheInternetasatoolforaccessinginformationaboutproductsand
service.HaublandTrifts(2013)researchfoundthatconsumersthatusedtheInternet
madelowersearchcostsandbetterchoicesthanthosethatdidnotuseittoshop.Inreturn
companieswereabletotrackconsumersastheyonlineshoppedonline.Onceasizable
amountofdatawascollectedmarketerswereabletohelpconsumersmakechoicesbased
onpastbuyingandinterests.Thepredictabilityofconsumerpreferenceshelpedpair
consumerswithproductsthatmatchedwhattheywerelookingfor,andhelpedcompanies
generatehigherlevelofcustomersatisfactionandloyalty.Searchenginesplayedakeyrole
withthedevelopmentofmarketingintelligenceaslongastheyprogressedastheInternet
usebehaviorsdid(Bradlow&Schmittlein,2000).Decisionaidsintheonline/social
marketingworldhaveremainedessentialastechnologyprogressed(Lambert&Stephen,
2016).
Astimepassedtheonlineworldalsobecameanessentialtoolforconsumerstoshop.
Itwasn’tthatuncommonforpeopletohaveInternetintheirhomesandacellphonebythe
mid2000s.Peoplebeganincreasingtheiractivityonlineanditshowedtheamountof
moneywasbeingspentononlinepurchases.Internetpenetrationin2005wasat50%and
hasincreasedeachyearsincethen(PewResearchCenter2014)andwasbecominga
normalpartofpeople’slives.Thisjumpmadetheonlineconsumerrecommendationsmore
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prominentwhenitcametothebuyingexperience,andbrandsexpandedtheirconsumer
bases.Theincreasedonlineactivityalsomadestartupcompaniesintomorestable
businesses.Companieslikeyelp,twitter,andFacebook,wentfromnichemarketstobeing
mainstream(Lambert&Stephen,2016).Reasonbeingwasthiswastheera(2005-2010)
whereeveryonebeganusingtheseplatformsasmarketingcontentchannels.Marketers
andbuyerswereshapingtheseplatformsandlayingthegroundworkforfuturemarketing
andadvertisingstrategies.
Asmarketerslaidthegroundworkforsocialandonlineadvertising,agradualshift
wastakingplaceinwherepeoplebeganviewingonlinecontent.Thesmartphoneand
tabletschangedsocietyintermsofonlineshopping.Peoplewerespending44%oftheir
computingtimeontheirmobiledevices.(Duncan,Hazan,&Roche,2014).Thatnumberhas
doubledsince2008.Theconvenienceofhavingaportabledevicethatyoucanaccessat
anytimeanywhereisslowlybecomingthenormforonlineactivity.Thisshifthascaused
marketerstofocusonhowpeopleareviewingthecontentfromamobiledevice.Mobile
marketinghasopenednewdoorsfortargetingconsumersgeographicallyandbehaviorally.
Italsohelpedbusinessesbuildrelationshipswiththeirconsumers,alwaysgivingtheman
opportunitytocommunicatewiththem.Thelastdoorthatmobileopenedistheabilityto
makefuntimelycontent.Beingabletomanagewhenandevenwhereconsumerswouldsee
contentallowedmarketerstotrulygetcertainmessagesacrosstopeople.
ADeliottestudyfoundthat$600billionofin-storepurchaseswereinfluencedin
somewaybysmartphonedevices(Haims,2015).Threeyearsagothesmartphonewas
attributedto$159billionofconsumerspending.Theincreaseof$441billioninconsumer
spendinginathree-yearperioddirectlyshowswherepeoplearegoingforhelpwithbuying
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decisions.Thissuccessisbafflingwhenmarketersandbusinessownerslookatit.These
numbersarestrongenoughforanybusinesstostartpushingfundsintomobilemarketing.
But,areweusingthisnewmediumtoitsfullestpotential?In2013astudyshowedthat
43%of745businessleaderspolledsaidtheyhadnotyetdeterminedthecorrectstrategy
formobilemarketing(StrongMail,2013).
Theproblemfacingmarketershasnowbecomethattheyknowthatsocialmedia
canwork,butthereisnoplaybookorformulatocorrectlyconnecttotheconsumerlikein
otherformsofmedia.Socialmediasiteshavenoticedthisandarebeginningtohelpthem
out.Facebookchangedtheirpoliciesbackin2014tofilteroutunpaidpromotionalmaterial.
Users’newsfeedswerenolongershowingbusinessesposts,andmorepaidcontentcould
beseen(Loten,Janofsky,&Albergotti2014).Thischangedthingsforadvertisers.Itnot
onlygavepayingcustomersthatwishtoadvertiseonthesocialmediasite,butalsogave
Facebookabetteradvantageamongothersocialsites.
Someareasthatbusinessesarelookingforimprovementinareasfollows:bounce
rate(lookingatonlyonepageonawebsitethenleaving),add-to-cartrates,shoppingcart
abandonment,completionrates,andaverageordervaluefromamobiledevicecompared
toalaptopordesktop(Berman,2016).InBerman’sarticlehealsodiscussesthethree
thingsanybusinessmustdotobesuccessfulinsocialmarketing.
1. Takeadvantagethatmobiledevicesarealwaysconnectedtotheconsumer.
2. MobileMarketinghastheabilitytocreatelocationorientatedoffers.
3. Personalizeyourmarketingmessages.Youaremarketingtoanarea,ormaybe
evenaparticulartypeofpersonlivinginthearea,takeadvantageofthe
knowledgeyouknowandapplyittoyourcontent.
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RESEARCHQUESTIONSANDMETHODOLOGY
Afterresearchinghowcompaniesareexpandingtheirpresencethroughonline
applications,I’veformulatedthesequestions.
1.HowareFoodbusinessesusingsocialmediaforadvertising? 2.Whatkindofchangeshavehappenedtocompaniessinceonlineorderinghasbecome
morecommon?
3.Whatarethevariouswaysthatconsumersareusingonlinemediaforbuyingfood?
4.Whataretheproductsandparticularlyfoodproductsthataremostlyboughtonline?
5.WhatistheimpactoftheuseofSocialMediabyChick-fil-AandTacoBell?
6.Doconsumerspreferusingapplicationsoverinstoreordering?
7.Howmuchinfluencedocompany’ssocialmediaapplications,alongwiththeirown
personalmobileapps,haveonconsumerswhentheyaremakingmealdecisions?
8.AresocialmediaapplicationslikeTwitterandFacebookmorebeneficialtocompaniesor
acompany’spersonalmobileapp?
9.IsTacoBellorChick-fil-Amorepopularamongconsumers?Doestheirpopularity
transitionovertotheirsocialmediaaccounts?
10.HowareTacoBellandChick-fil-Aviewedonsocialmedia?Asabrandorjustasanother
advertisement?
Answeringmyresearchquestionswasdonethroughasurveyandtwointerviews
withTacoBellandChick-fil-Amarketingdepartments.Thetworesearchmethodswere
chosentogetasizeableresponsesampletoevaluatetheproductivenessofTacoBelland
Chick-fil-A’seffortsthroughsocialmediamarketing,aswellasknowledgeofthoseexact
effortsbeingmadebythetwobusinesses.
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TheinterviewsconductedwerewithmanagersofTacoBellandChick-fil-Athat
wereknowledgeableofthefastfood’slocalandnationalmarketing/advertisingefforts.
Theywereconductedseparately,andwereaskedquestionstogatherinformationontheir
localandnationalmarketingstrategies.Thequestionschosenhelpedobtainasenseofhow
thetworestaurantchainswereusingthesocialmediaapplicationswhenmarketingto
consumers.Theinformationwasthenimplementedinthesurveyquestionsandwas
comparedtotheresultsofthesurvey’sanswers.
Thesurveywas19questionsanddistributedonFacebookandwassharedbymy
friendsandfamilyontheweekofMarch19th.Thequestionswereprimarilyinamultiple-
choiceformat,withsomeshortanswerand‘checkallboxesthatapply’questionsin
between.Facebookfriendsandfamilyhadthreedaystoanswerthequestionsandsubmit
theiranswersbeforethesurveywasshutoff.Uponcompletion,allanswerswerecompiled
inGoogleformsthatcouldonlybeenseenbyme.Differenttypesofresponseswere
receivedduetotheformatofthequestions,resultinginpercentagesforeachanswerin
eachquestion.Thisfeatureallowedmetogetamorepreciseideaastohowpeoplewere
usingtheirsocialmedia.Thesurveycoveredeverythingfromeatinghabits,tosocialmedia
use,toattitudestowardTacoBellandChick-fil-Aspecifically.Thegoalofthesurveywasto
obtainaconsumersviewofhowcompaniesareusingsocialmediatomarkettheir
businessesandtoseehowwellit’sworking.
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HOWBUSINESSESUSESOCIALMEDIA
Thedifferentwaysthatsocialcanbeusedcompanies;manyhavebeenableto
createanimagethatbestsuitsthebrandimagetheywanttoachieve.Oldspice(OS)uses
humorandfeedsofftheemotionofpotentialviewers(Patel,2016).Thecolognecompany
usesshortquickvideosthatcanbesharedonsocialmediaandtorespondtopeoplethat
tweetatthem(Bullas,2011).Thevideosarepartoftheiradvertisingscheme,butthe
videosthemselvesaremorelikepersonalmessages.Anexampleofthisiswhen“TheEllen
Show”tweetedatOldSpice.OSrespondedwithavideomessageoftheirspokesman
comingoutoftheshowerwearingacrown.Anothercompanythatusessocialmediawell,
butinadifferentway,isStarbucks.Thecoffeecompanyisn’tknownforacomedicvoiceor
brandimagelikeOldSpiceandthatisevenapparentintheirsocialadvertising.Starbucks
usesthemediumtoassisttheircustomerswiththeirpersonalaccountswiththecompany,
helpthemfindnearbycoffeeshops(Starbucksonly),andapplyforjobsattheirshops
(Patel,2016).
Probablyoneofthemoreinterestingbusinessesthatusesocialmediawellandvery
differentlyfromthetwobusinessesaboveisDenny’s.WhenyouthinkofDenny’syou
immediatelythinkoffood,maybebreakfastinparticular,thatyoucangetaroundtheclock
andisquitegood.Thatimageisimmediatelyshatteredwhenyoulookattheirsocialmedia
advertising.WhatDenny’shasdoneisgiventhemselvesauniqueidentityfromtheir
competition.Aneasyoutinthefoodbusinesswouldbetoposttheirmenuitemsandtoask
theircustomershowtheylikecertaintypesoffoodtogetengagetheiraudience.But,that’s
anotwhatDenny’sdoe.Becauseoftheirtargetaudience(teensandyoungadults)the
restauranttweetsandpostsinaweirdmanner(Patel,2016).Agoodexamplethatcanbe
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foundontheirtwitterpageread,“sure,treescan’teatlikeus,butiftheydid?Boywould
saladfreakthemout.”Anothertweetthatgivesyouanideaofthebrandimagetheyare
afterread,“funfact:atleastoneboothineveryDenny’sispossessedbyspirits.It’spretty
easytotellthoughcauseit’susuallyglowing.”Thisisaclassicexampleofabusinessthat
tooktheopportunitythatsocialmediapresentsandismakingthemostofit.Theirtwitter
pagecurrentlyhasover354thousandfollowers.
InanarticlebyBusinesstoCommunity,JakeCamachoanalyzesfivesocialmedia
practicesthatthefastfoodindustryiscurrentlyusing.ThefirstexampleisofTacoBelland
howtheyusethepollfeatureonTwitter.Withthepollfeatureyouareallowedtoaskthe
followersaquestionandgivethemoptions,justlikeamultiplechoicequestionyouwould
seeonatest.TacoBellwillaskquestionsregardinglikewhatDoritosLocosTacowould
youchooseifyoucouldonlychooseone?Thisspecificexamplereceivednearly17,000
responsesandTacoBellwasabletogetasmallsamplesizeofwhatspecialtytacowaswell
likedamongtheirconsumers(Camacho,2016).
OneofTacoBell’scompetitors,McDonalds,hasfoundsuccessonadifferent
application.ThefastfoodgianthastakentheInstagramworldbystormwiththeirclever
useoftheirmenuitemsandbackdrops.McDonaldsisn’tpostingclassicpicturesofburgers
andfriesontheirpage;theyaregettingcreativeandhavingfun.Agoodexampleofthisis
oneoftheirpostsduringthesummer.Inthepictureyouseeoneoftheirapplepiesontop
ofwhatlookslikeapoolraftwearingsunglasses,enjoyingadayatthepool.Thepost
generatedover25,000likesandnearly1,000comments(Camacho,2016).
Westcoastchain,In-N-Outburgerusesthetwosocialmediaabove,buttheytruly
takeadvantageofFacebook.OtherfastfoodcompaniestypicallyuseFacebooktoannounce
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newlocationsandaddingtheoccasionalphoto,causingverylittleactivity(Camacho,2016).
WhatIn-N-Outdoessowellishowtheyrespondtotheirfans.Theburgerrestaurantuses
theapplicationasawaytocreatedialoguewiththeirfansansweringasmanyquestions
postedtotheirpageandinformingthemonwhatevertheywanttoknow.Notonlyarethey
answering,buttheyalsotailoreachresponsetoeachindividual(Camacho,2016).
KentuckyFriedChickentakesadifferentapproachontheirsocialmediaaccounts,
usingcustomizedvideosforcertaintimesoftheyearandevencertainregionsoftheworld.
DuringthelastholidayseasonKFCPhilippinescraftedavideothatcenteredonfamilyand
giving.Thevideodemonstratedhowthechainvaluesitsemployeesandhowtheyknowthe
importanceoffamily.Theshortvideowaspostedacrosstheirsocialmediaandtotaled
morethan900.000viewsandmorethan15thousandengagements(likes,comments)
(Camacho,2016).
In2017itwasreportedthat81%oftheUnitedStatepopulation(318.9million)had
asocialmediaprofileofsomekind(U.S. population, 2017). Not only do they have social
media accounts, but the average American spend more than two hours a day on them (Haselmayr,
2014). Businesses view this high social media traffic as opportunity to create more
individualized content and loyalty with their own mobile application. Businesses as big as
Walmart to small local businesses are creating mobile apps for their brand. This is to not be
confused with a mobile friendly website. The applications that being created are downloaded
from app stores like Apple and Google play. Businesses’ mobile apps are creates more visibility
to the consumers and a more direct marketing channel. Also, like social media, the mobile apps
are another channel for companies to improve customer engagement, getting feedback on
products and services as well as informing them on new offerings (Haselmayr, 2014).
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The fast food industry is also inserting their brand on other online ordering applications.
Yahoo Finance (2017) says the global online food delivery and takeout market is forecasted to
grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16.25% during the next four years (“Global Online
Food Delivery”, 2017). The growth in the industry has sprouted new companies that offer online
food ordering. Foodjunky and Grubhub are two companies that are emerging, being the first two
to advertise on television. Both online food-ordering companies offer similar services. When you
first arrive on their site or mobile application, you are asked to type in your address to help locate
businesses in your area. A list of restaurants will pull up on your screen that you can order from.
Most restaurants that pull up on both sites for the Carbondale area are seated establishments.
However, Grubhub and foodjunky both say that fast food restaurants (Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A) are
‘Coming Soon!’ when you search for them.
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HISTORYANDOVERVIEWOFTACOBELLANDCHICK-FIL-A
ANDTACOBELL
TacoBellfirststartedoutin1954,butitwasn’tknownasTacobell.Creator,Glen
Bellopeneda‘Bell’sDrive-InandTacoTia’inSanBernardino.Itwouldn’tbetillthe1960s
untilTacoBellwasputontheoutsideoftheirrestaurants.Thechaincaughttractionamong
peoplequickly,havingover100differentlocationsby1967.Inthe1970sBellmadeahuge
move,joiningforceswithPepsiCoInc.Bellbecameashareholderinexchangefor868Taco
BellRestaurants(Welcome,2017)
AstimewentonTacoBelltriednewmarketingtechniquestogainmorebrand
recognition.In1989,thechaindidpromotionswithmajormovieblockbusters,most
notablywiththemovie‘Batman’.Theinnovativenessinpromotiondidn’tstopthere.The
verynextyearTacoBellbeganofferingavalueinitiativethatincludedmenuitemsat59,79,
and99cents.TheylaterpartneredthisinitiativewithTacoBellExpress.Expresswas
designedforpeoplethatwereconstantlyonthegoanddidn’thavethetimetowaitforfood.
Thistrulychangedthe‘fast’foodgame,bringingconveniencefasttotheirconsumers
(Welcome,2017).
The1990swereanactivetimeforTacoBell,astheycontinuedtogettheirnameout
thereinwaysthebusinesshadnotdonebefore.Sponsorshipsareoneexampleofthat.In
1995,TacoBellsponsoredtheESPNXGames,whichisasportingeventthatfeatures
extremeoutdoorsports.Sincethentheyhaveupgradedtobeingoneoftwosponsorsfor
theNCAACollegeFootballPlayoff(Welcome,2017).Again,TacoBellusedcreativetactics
toreachtheiraudience,collegestudents.Theywantedtoconnecttothisaudiencebecause
therewereover20millionstudentsenrolledincollege,andthosemillionshavepurchasing
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powerof417billion.So,inordertogetnoticedbythiscrowdthechaingotcreative.Taco
Bellgaveaway1,000ticketstostudentswhoattendedthecollegesanduniversitiesthat
werecompetingintheplayoff(fourtotalteams/schools).Studentsthatreceivedtheticket
satintheTacoBellstudentsection,andalsoreceivedotherperkssuchasticketsforonsite
concerts.Inthefirstyearoftheplayoff,studentsreceivedadmissiontothegameandtoa
ZacBrownBandconcert,andaroadtripkit(Welcome,2017)
InrecentyearsTBhasalsobegunrunningpromotionsforothersportingevents,even
thoughitwerenotamajorsponsor.TheSuperBowlinthemosttelevisedeventoftheyear,
averagingover115millioneachyear.TacoBellpositioneditselfasago-toplaceforfoodto
eatwhileyouwatchthebiggame.Onthedayofthebiggametheyofferedtacosforthe
priceofwhatevernumberSuperBowlitwas.ThispastyearwasSuperBowlLI(51)sothey
weresellingtacosfor51cents.Thepromotionwasonlyofferedatselectlocations
(Welcome,2017).
Bythe2000speopleweremoreconnectedbecauseoftheInternetandsmartphones.
TacoBellusedthisshiftincommunicationtotheiradvantage.WhentheMIRspacestation
wasfallingtoearth,TBofferedupafreetacotoeveryoneintheUnitedStatesifthestation
landedonthegiantfloatingTacoBelltarget(Welcome,2017).Probablyamorepopular
promotionthatTBstartedofferinginthistimeperiod(andstilldotoday)isMountainDew
BajaBlast.Thesodaisexclusivelyofferedatthefastfoodchain,givingcustomersmoreofa
reasontoeatattheirestablishments.Therehavebeentimesovertheyearssincethey
introducedthespecialDewin2004thatconsumerscouldpurchaseBajaBlastatgrocery
stores,butithasbeenlimited.Neverhasitbeenofferedatanotherfoodchain.
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OneofthemorerecentadditionstoTacoBell’soperationisthecreationoftheTaco
Bellapplication.TheappcanbedownloadedthroughtheAppleAppStoreorthrough
Googleplay.LikeTacoBell’ssocialmediaaccounts,theirapplicationhasthemostupdated
contentandpromotions.Notonlythat,butontheapp,newpromotionsarebrokendown
whatisineachoftheirnewproducts.Forexample,TacoBellhasanewburritoontheir
menu.Theapptellsyou(withpictures)thatthereisbeef,cheese,andlettuceandsointhe
burrito.Asaconsumer,Ifindthisvaluablebecausewhenyouseea30secondcommercial
ontelevisionyouaren’tgivenafullexplanationofwhat’sintheirnewmenuitems,justa
couplequickshotsofthefood.Theapplicationalsoshowsthefullmenu,brokendownby
typeoffood(tacos,burritos,specialties).Alongwiththefood,youcanfindthenearestTaco
Bell’stoyourlocationandevenaspecializedtabcalled‘MyBell’thatsuggestsmenuitems
foryoubasedonyourfoodinterests.Themostimportantfunctionoftheapplication(that
youareremindedaboutineverytab)isthatyoucanorderfood.Allyouhavetodoisselect
thefoodthatyou’dliketoorder,hitsubmit,andit’ssenttotheTacoBellyouselectedto
pickupyourorderat.Youcanevenpayfortheorderthroughtheapp,so,whenyougetto
thelocationthathasmadeyourorderallyouhavetodoispickitup.
CHICK-FIL-A
Chick-fil-Afirstopenedbackin1946underthenameDwarfGrill.Founder,Truett
Cathy,wantedherrestauranttobeafullserviceeatery.Theysoldtypicalitemsthatyou
canstillfindontheirmenustodaylikechickensandwichesandchickenstrips.Today,there
are12locationsintheAtlantaareathatstilloperatethesamewaythefirstDwarfGrill
operatedbackinthe1940s.Thosetwelvelocationsalsosellspecialtyitemslikehamand
cheese“MidnightSandwiches”andcoconuticeboxpie(Taylor,2016).
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TruettCathy’sclaimtofame,andabigreasonwhyChick-fil-Amadeanameforitself,
isthebonelesschickensandwich.CathyandCFAarecreditedformakingtheboneless
sandwichinthe1960s.Theideaforthesandwichoriginatedbecausetheprocesstomake
friedchickenwastootimeconsumingandtheircustomershadtowaittoolongfortheir
orders.So,Cathydecidedtouseapressurecookeronedayandtherestishistory(Taylor,
2016).Fast-forwardtotodayandyoucanfindabonelesschickensandwichonmenusat
McDonalds,Wendy’s,Sonic,Hardees,andBurgerKingtojustnameafew.
The1960swerebusydecadesforCathy.Afterhavingsuccessandbreakingthrough
inthechickenmarket,shedecidedtoopenthefirsteverChick-fil-A.Shefeltthatshehad
perfectedherchickenrecipeby1967anddecidedtoopenarestaurantbasedaroundher
chickensandwich.Thefirstrestaurantwasa384squarefootestablishmentatGreenbriar
MallinsuburbanAtlanta.Ithadlittleseatingforcustomersandwasdesignedasmoreofa
‘to-go’eatery(Taylor,2016).CathydecidedtocallthespotChick-fil-Aasaplayonwords
for‘chickenfillet’andthe‘A’ontheendsymbolizesthehighqualitytheyproduce.Thefirst
freestanding,notinsideamall,Chick-fil-Acame19yearslateronNorthDruidHillsRoadin
Atlanta(History,2017).
SincethefirstDwarfGrillbackin1946thecompanyhasalwaysbeenclosedon
Sundays.Cathybeganthetraditionofbeingopensixdaysaweektoletheremployees
spendtimewiththeirfamilyorgotochurch.Asthecompanyevolvedintheconglomerate
thatitistodaytheykepttotheirrootsandremainclosedonSundays(Taylor,2016).No
otherfastfoodchainusesthispractice.
Intoday’smediarunsocietyyouwilloccasionallyseecowstalkingaboutchicken.
19
Chick-fil-Afirstlaunchedtheir‘EatMorChikin’campaignin1995.Theadsfeatured
Holsteincowstellingpeopletoeatmorechickenusingsigns(History,2017).Thecompany
stillusesthiscampaign22yearslater,usingrealcowsintheircommercials.In2007,
AdvertisingWeekrecognizedthecampaignasoneofAmerica’smostpopularadvertising
icons.ThesuccessandiconicadsplacedChick-fil-AandtheircowsontheAdvertisingWalk
ofFame(History,2017).
Chick-fil-Ahasbranchedoutintosportsadvertisingayearafterstartingtheir‘Eat
MorChikin’campaignbysponsoringanannualcollegefootballbowlgame.Thecompany
becamethenamesponsorofoneofthelongeststandingbowlgames,thePeachBowl
(History,2017).Tillthisdaytwocollegiatefootballballteamsplayinthe‘Chick-fil-APeach
Bowl’.
Thefastfoodcompanyiscurrentlyoperatingin46statesandcontinuestogrow.It
wasreportedin2006thatChick-fil-Asurpassedtwobilliondollarsinsystemwidesales,
makingthemabillon-dollarbrand(Chick-fil-A).McDonald’sistheNo.1fastfoodbillion-
dollarbrand,followedbySubway.Othercompaniesthatareinthetop-tenareKentucky
FriedChicken,PizzaHut,andTacoBell(Said,2013).
Asprofitscontinuetogrow,sodoesChick-fil-A’sonlinepresence.In2016,Chick-fil-
AlaunchedanapplicationthatcanbedownloadedinboththeAppleandGooglestoreson
yourtabletandsmartphone.Thehomescreenshowsthechickenheadlogothecompany
usesalongwiththeword‘one’.Thewordplaysymbolizesthepersonalizationand
individualizationyoureceivewhenusingtheapplication.Ontheappyoucanorderyour
foodaheadoftimeandpickitupwhenyouarrive.LikeTacoBell,youcanviewtheentire
Chick-fil-Amenuandyoucanviewyourrecentorderhistory.Theonethingthatdiffersthe
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twoappsisthefocusChick-fil-Aputsontherewardsyouearnwhenyouusetheapp.After
acertainamountofspendingyouearn‘Treats’orfreefoodthatiscreditedtoyouraccount.
21
RESULTSFROMINTERVIEWS,SURVEY,ANDCONCLUSION
Iwasabletoanswerthefirstfewresearchquestionsthroughthebackground
researchandcameawaywithtwomainpointsonquestion.Thereisn’tonewaythat
businessesusesocialmediaandonlineapplications,andthereisanaudienceforeveryone
nomatterwhatkindofcontentyouproduce.Companiesareusingthisformofmediato
helpstrengthentheirbrandimage.Whetheritisthroughhumor,howtheyappreciatetheir
employees,orbyjustbeingpromptwithansweringquestionssenttheirway.Companies
aredevelopinganonlineimageforconsumers,andsocialmediausers,thattheywanttobe
seenbythepublic.Thatbeingsaid,theyarealsoreachingouttoconsumersthatclickor
canidentifywiththesamebrandimage.Noteveryonefollowsthesameaccountsandis
friendswiththesamepeopleonsocialmedia,andeveryoneusesadifferentcollectionof
onlineapplications.Peoplehavedifferentinterests,so,asabusinessusingsocialmedia,
thereisanicheaudienceouttherethatwantstohearyou.
Questiontwowastrickierthanthefirst,astheonlineorderingsystemsarenotas
establishedassocialmedia.In2013Fortunereported2.8billiondollarswasinvestedinto
food-relatedstartupcompanies(Denning,2013).AstudydonebyMorganStanleyanalysts
(2016)valuedthefooddeliveryslashonlineorderingmarketat30billionandhasthe
potentialtoworthover200billion(Chamlee,2016).Thisisamarketthatisgrowing
rapidly.ExamplesfromabovelikeFoodJunkyandGrubhubaregainingclientsdailythat
wanttoputtheirbusinessontheironlinesiteandmobileapplication.Thereasonbeingis
whodrivesthemarketnow,millennials.Adweekreportedthatthismarketis‘anuntapped
marketforlifestylecontent’(Moses,2014).Withthatbeingsaid,theanswertomyquestion
isthatthefoodindustryischangingtobecomemoremobileandonlinefriendly,and
22
businesseseverydayareexploringnewroutesthroughnewmediatogetthere.However,
theyareexploringtheseoptionswithcreatingthingsontheirownanderasingthe
middleman.
Thenextsetofresearchquestionswereansweredthroughtheinterviews
conducted.Theanswersreceivedintheinterviewsalsohelpedshapethesurveyconducted
lateron.
InterviewonewaswithChick-fil-A.AftercontactingtheirmainofficeIwas
redirectedtoamarketingdirectorinSpringfield,Illinois.Themarketingdirectordiscussed
theircurrenteffortsatthelocalandregionalarea.Mostofthenationaladcampaigns,
primarilyusethethirty-secondcommercials,weredoneoutoftheirheadquartersin
Atlanta,Georgia.Sheinformedmethatthelocalmarketsusedtheseadswhenpossiblein
theirsocialmediastrategyintheirarea.ThecompanycurrentlycanbefoundonFacebook
andInstagram.ShestressedthattheywerecurrentlyworkingongettingaTwitteraccount
andthatitwasapriorityforthem,astheywantedtostartreachingthatsocialmedia
audience.
Themarketingdirectorlaterwentontodiscusshowtheyareusingthesocialmedia
platformstheyarecurrentlyon.Theirmainfocuswastopushacurrenteventthatweek,
promotingthecurrentoffers.Sheexplainedthatthebasicfunctiontheyusetheirsocial
mediaaccountsistotalkabouttherestaurant’scurrentpromotionsanddeals.Anexample
shegavemewasacampaignthattheyhavebeenrunningsincethebeginningoftheyear
andaregoingtorunthroughtherestof2017.Chick-fil-AinSpringfieldiscurrentlyoffering
freebreakfastonFridays.Whattheydoishighlightoneoftheirbreakfastitemseveryweek
onsocialmediatoencouragepeopletoeattheirfirstmealofthedayattheirrestaurantor
23
getittogo.Thedirectorlaterwentontotellmethatsheproducesthesepromotionsand
ideasandthentranslatesthemtotheirsocialmediacoordinator.
TheSpringfieldlocationalsotalksaboutgiveawaysthroughtheirsocialaccounts.
Themarketingdirectorsaysthattheirsocialmediacoordinatorwillcreatelittleblurbs
aboutthegiveawaysandthenblastitoutonalltheironlinemedia,excludingtheChick-fil-A
mobileapplication.Noneofthecontentthatherlocationproducescanbefoundonthe
mobileapp.Theappiscompletelymanagedbytheirheadquartersandiskeptprimarily
‘plain’sotheusercancreatetheirownfavoritesandlikes.Also,theofferingsinonearea
maynotbethesameinanother,sotheytrytokeeptheinformationsimpletonotconfuse
theirconsumersthatusetheapp.
TacoBell’sstrategywasverydifferentfromChick-fil-A’s.InaconversationIhad
withoneofTacoBell’smarketingpeople,Ifoundoutthatthefastfoodchaintakesamore
‘brandimage’approachtosocialmedia.BythisImeanthattheydon’tpushproductsas
muchandfocusmoreontheirimageontheironlineaccounts.Thecontenttheyproduceon
theirsocialmediaplatformsisfunnyandtrendy.Themarketingdepartmentstressedthat
theytrytoproducemediathatappealstotheiraudience,whichismillennials.Theystayup
todateontrendsandconstantlymonitoronlineactivitytocreatefuncurrentpostsand
tweets.Whentheyarepostingmoreadvertisementbasedcontenttheydon’tgive
everythingawayatonce.Theyteasenewproductsanddealsinawittywaytoengagetheir
audienceandtostartaconversation.
Outsideofthewitandteasingofnewdeals,TacoBellalsopromotesontheironline
platformsabouttheirsocialresponsibility.Thefastfoodchainspreadsthewordontheir
scholarshipprogramsandoncontestsforstudentstoentertohelpfurthertheireducation.
24
Whenitcomestohowthemarketingishandled,thecorporateheadquartersdoes
everything.Allcampaignsarefromthenationallevelandnoneisdonelocally.Everyonline
platformisdoneinhousetomaintainaconsistentimageTacoBellhasworkedyearsto
create,themarketertoldme.Theyalsodothistoconstantlymonitorallaccounts,thatway
theycanrespondquicklyforanyonethatissuesacomplaintorisjustlookingtochat.
Thismentalityalsotransferredovertohowtheymanagetheirmobileapplication.I
askedifTacoBellwasexploringnewmediathatwascomingintothepicture,likeGrubhub,
andthemarketertoldmeno.Sheexplainedthattheyarebypassingotherapplications
becausetheybelievethattheyalreadyoffereverythingyouwouldneedontheirown
mobileapp.Shewentontosaythatindoingthisstrategytheybuildmorebrandloyalty
andareabletopromotethemselvesbetter.Theybelievethatbuildingastrongfanbase
throughtheirownappwasmorevaluablemovingahead,thangettingextraexposure
elsewhere.Tofurtherherpointevenfurther,sheexplainedthatTacoBell’scurrent
strategywasshiftingintoamoredigitalformat.Iftheypushtheirownmedianow,theywill
bebetteroffasourmedialandscapeadvancesinthefuture.
SURVEYRESULTS
Amajorityofmyresearchquestionswereansweredthroughmysurvey.Thesurvey
waslivefromSaturdayafternoonuntiltheendofMonday.Thetotalamountofresponses
receivedinthatwindowwas224.
Therewasasplitdownthemiddleofpeople18to35andpeople36andolderthat
answeredthesurvey,givingmeperspectivesofbotholdergenerationsandthemillennial
generation.FirstIidentifiedwhattypesofsocialmediathatpeoplewerecurrentlyusingto
getasenseofwheretheywereexposedtoonlineadvertising.Thenumberoneresponse
25
wasFacebookat224,whichwaseveryonewhoansweredthesurvey.Followingright
behindwasTwitter,whichwasfourvotesshyof100at96,andthenInstagram,whichwas
justover100at101.Therewere16peoplethatfilledinother,andthemainanswer
receivedwasSnapchat.
Table1
WiththisinformationnowinmindItransitionedtohowpeoplewereusingonline
mediatobuyfood.Thisquestionwasmadeasashortanswerquestion,allowingthesurvey
takertobeasdescriptiveandthoroughaspossible.Itwasimportanttonotnarrowtheir
optionsdowntoamultiplechoicetypequestion.Thereasonbeingisthedifferenttypesof
mediathatyoucanusetoorderfoodonlinewith.Popularanswersreceivedwerethe
restaurant’sonlinemenu,restaurantapps,andapplicationsingeneral,andhealthierfood
thatwasnotavailablelocally.
Whenitcametohowoftenpeopleusedtheirmethodsofonlineorderinganswers
varied.Onlyeightpeopleansweredwithmultipletimesaweek,whichwasthesecond
smallestamount.Thethreemostansweredtimetableswereacoupletimesamonth,few
timesayear,andI’veneverorderedonline.Thelargestquantityofpeople(34%)answered
26
acoupletimesamonth,followedby26.5%afewtimesayear.Thetimeframesaskedin
thisquestionsetupthenextquestion,whichwashowlonghavetheybeenusingtheonline
orderingsystems.Thenumberoneresponse,with79people,answeredthattheyhadbeen
usingonlineorderingformorethanthreeyears.Atotalof144respondents(65%)had
beenusingonlineorderingofsomekindformorethanayear.
Figure1
Thesurveythennarroweddownwhatfoodpeoplewereprimarilyorderingonline.
ThenumberoneanswerwaspizzaplaceswithDominos,PapaJohns,andCasey’sPizza
beingamongthemostpopular.Thenexttwoanswerswerebothmorevague,notbeingas
narrowofafoodproductlikepizza.Fastfoodandsitdownrestaurantsbothpulledaround
20%,getting40and41answers,respectively.
Morethanhalfofthepeoplethathadusedsocialmediaoronlinemediaalsogave
theapplicationsusedahighlevelofsatisfactory.Therewere167peoplethatratedtheir
27
onlinefoodorderingexperienceatasevenorhigher,tenbeingextremelysatisfied.The
levelofsatisfactiontranslatedovertowhetherornottheyhadrecommendedusinganapp
tosomeoneelse.Alittlemorethan50%ofthepeoplesaidthattheyhad.Amere44%of
peoplealsosaidtheypreferredorderingaheadwiththemediaoptionsopposedtoordering
inpersonattherestaurant.
Aftergainingalittlebackgroundinformationonthesurveytakerseatinghabitsand
howoftentheyusedmediatohelpthemwiththosehabits,Iaskedmorequestionsrelated
toTacoBellandChick-fil-A.ForstartersIaskedhowoftentheyateattheserestaurants.
TacoBellreceivedthepopularvote,as51.4%ofthepeopleansweredthattheyeatthereat
leastfivetimeseveryfewmonths.Chick-fil-Acameinat44.5%,having97peoplesaying
theyatetherearoundfivetimeseveryfewmonths.Theamountofpeoplethatateateach
restauranttransferredovertofollowingthebusinessesonsocialmedia.Forty-ninepeople
saidtheyfollowedChick-fil-Aonsocialmedia,withthemostbeingonFacebookat26
people.RightbehindinsecondplacewastheChick-fil-Amobileappat18people.Taco
Bell’sfollowingwasmorespreadout.Facebookagaingrabbedthetopspotwith17people,
withTwitterandtheTacoBellmobileappcominginatsecondandthird.Atotalof37
peoplefollowedthetacochainonaformofsocialmedia,whichwas33%ofthepeoplethat
atetheirfoodatleastfivetimeseveryfewmonths.
28
Table2
Chick-fil-Acameinatamuchhigherpercentageof55%,having54of97people
followthemonasocial/onlinemediaandeatattheirestablishmentatleastfivetimeevery
fewmonths.
Table3
ForthenextportionofthesurveyI’dliketobringupaquestionansweredearlierin
thesurveythatbecomesrelevantinthissection.Oneofthefirstquestionsaskedabout
online/appswaswhydidtheyuseitformakingmealdecisions.Thetwomostpopular
answerswereconvenience(149people)andpromotions(98).
29
Table4
MovingdowntotheTacoBellandChick-fil-Aportionofthesurvey,Iaskedthesame
questionagain,butmorespecificallywhytheyfollowedthetwofastfoodchainsonsocial
media.Ireceivedmanydifferentanswers,mostofthemalongthelinesofdeals,tofree
rewardswhenused,tosomethingassimpleas‘itpoppeduponmytimelinesoIdecidedto
likeit’.But,afewpeopleanswereddifferently.Tenpeopleansweredfromapointofview,
notjustofwhattheythoughtofthefood,buthowtheythoughtofthecompany.Afew
peoplewrotethattheylikedwhateachcompanystoodfororthattheywerefunny.Some
evensaidtheyfollowedTacoBellandChick-fil-Abecausetheylovedthem.Ifoundthese
typesofanswersveryinterestingwhenitcametohowthebusinesseswereviewedon
socialmedia.
Whencametonewermedia,likeeachcompany’smobileapplication,notmany
peopleusedit.Chick-fil-AbeatTacoBellinthisdepartment,having26peoplecomparedto
TacoBell’s19people.Whenitcametohowmanytimestheapphadbeenused,Chick-fil-A
outweighedTacoBellby,having20peopleusingtheappmorethantwotimes.
30
Figure2
Figure3
Thefinalquestionofmysurveywas,“whatimpactdoesChick-fil-AandTacoBell’s
socialmediahaveonyoureatingdecisions?”Amajorityofthepeople(morethan100)said
thatneithercompanyswaysthemonsocialmedia.Theotherhalfofpeoplerespondedwith
answersthatrevolvedaroundjustseeingthempostsomethingthatsparksthemtoget
theirfood,andthedealsandofferings.
31
CONCLUSION
TacoBellandChick-fil-Aserveverydifferentfood.Onesellschickenbasedproducts
andtheotherservesMexicanbasedproducts.Bothofthemareonsocialmediaandhave
mobileapplications,andbothofthemhavefollowersonallofthem.Consumersview
businessesonnewmedialiketheyviewthemonoldmedia,asadvertisements.Morethan
halfofthepeopleinthesurveyclaimedtheydidn’twanttoseetheiradsoralltheyonly
lookedatthemfordeals.So,despitebothrestaurant’seffortsofcreatingdifferentnon-
corporateimagesonnewmedia,mostpeoplecan’tlookpastofwhomtheyareoutsideof
themedium.
TheotherhalfofthepeoplethatclaimedtheyfollowedTacoBellandChick-fil-Aon
socialmediaviewedthecompaniesentirelydifferent.AsImentionedbeforeafew
respondentssaidtheyfollowedthemonlinebecausetheylikedwhatthecompanystoodfor.
Answerslikethisprovethatpeopleareviewingthemmorethanjustafastfoodbusiness.
Theyareseeingabrandthatshowsemotionandhasbeliefs.So,eventhoughamajorityof
thepeopledidstillviewthetwocompaniesasadvertisementsonsocialmedia,therestillis
aportionofpeopleouttherethatareseeingadifferentmessage,amessagethatTacoBell
andChick-fil-Aaretryingtopromote.
TheconclusionsgatheredwhencomparingTacoBellandChick-fil-Afromthe
answersinthesurveywereverysimilar.TheoneplatformthatChick-fil-Awasnotin,
Twitter,wastheoneplacethatTacoBellhadanadvantage.Whenitcametothefollowing,
Chick-fil-Ahadmoresuccessbecauseofthedealsandofferingthatwereoffered,whichis
somethingthatTacoBelldoesnotdoasmuchontheirsocialmediaaccounts.Lookingat
theonlinefoodindustryaswhole,Ifoundthatamajorityofthepeoplesurveyedare
32
currentlyinvolvedinsomesortonlinefoodshoppingandhavebeenformorethanayear.
Theproductsthattheyareorderingaremostlypizzaandfoodyouwouldorderfromasit
downtypeofrestaurant.Atthesametimenewmediathataremakingfoodoptionsmore
convenientandpersonalizedwillcontinuetopopup,resultinginpossibilitiesforalltypes
ofrestaurants,includingfastfood.However,theprogressionofthenewmediawillalso
advancethecompaniesownapplications,helpingthemcompeteintheonlinefood
orderingmarket.
Allinall,Ibelievethatnewmediawillcontinuetogrowandprovidemore
opportunitiesforallrestaurants.Itwilltakemoretimeforthesecompaniestocreatemore
loyaltyontheirsocialmediaandnotjustbejudgedsolelyonthetasteoftheirfoodorwhat
theyhaveontheirmenu.Newmediawillcontinuetopushmorepersonalizedoptionsfor
consumersthatwillinreturnmakeitmoreconvenientfortheuser.
33
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