implications about Arby's

Report Outline

Background-

1. Info on specific product we’re advertising (curly fries, inexpensive variety of sandwiches)
2. Status of Arby’s in current fast food industry
3. How their products are being advertised now
4. Objectives of our focus groups/interviews: we want to learn how the following pertains to college students:
  1. Fast food consumption patterns (when, where, why eat fast food?)
  2. Fast food preferences overall (what they like and dislike about fast food/what they look for when choosing a restaurant to go to)
  3. Opinions on current fast food branding/advertising and how Arby’s stacks up against competition in terms of marketing
  4. Overall attitudes towards Arby’s
5. How info will be used:
  1. Develop a more positive image for Arby’s
  2. Develop a robust advertising campaign to attract college students/new customers and make it a strong competitor in the industry
Method-

1. Target group definition (talk about the screener- college students who eat fast food, etc.)
2. Number of interviews- 24 total
3. How respondents were recruited- friends, classmates, randomly found on campus
4. Where and time period interviews were held- local coffee shops, on-campus, library; about 45 minutes each
5. Insert a copy of the screener and discussion guide here (not in an appendix)
Findings- discuss results in terms using “virtually all respondents”, “almost no one”, “several” (don’t use numbers/percents)-

1. Consumption
  1. Most popular fast food restaurants: In n Out, Carl’s Jr., Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Chipotle
  2. Consumption patterns: late night or during the week when they’re too lazy to make food
  3. Most are not concerned about healthy choices on fast food menus
  4. Important factors when choosing a fast food restaurant: mood, taste, location/accessibility, value for money, speed
  5. Like: fast, cheap, open 24 hours/convenient
  6. Don’t like: when the food is super unhealthy, can’t trust advertising (false claims of real beef, etc.) or it’s boring
  7. Top choices for fast food: burgers, sandwiches, fries, tacos
  8. Overwhelming positive response to curly fries-- “everyone loves curly fries”
2. Branding/Advertising
  1. All fast food is pretty much the same. Some fast food restaurants have better quality than other similar fast food places.
  2. Will often switch between different fast food restaurants based on mood (loyal to a few; don’t want to always be eating the same thing/want several alternatives)
  3. What they like about ads: humor, catchy jingles/slogans
  4. What they don’t like about ads: deceptive advertising, boring, annoying
  5. Most people we interviewed hadn’t seen any Arby’s ads
  6. Arby’s ads don’t stand out or make food look appealing and they are not funny
  7. They feel like it mostly appeals to guys and meat lovers (everyone else is pushed away)
3. Arby’s
  1. Most rarely visit Arby’s or have gone only a few times (experience was okay)
  2. They are aware that Arby’s serves sandwiches
  3. Brand is outdated/not exciting
  4. Don’t see much marketing for the company (no coupons, promos, etc.)
  5. Advertising is okay- nothing special/not funny
  6. Overall attitudes toward slogan “We have the meats”- weird; Arby’s does not have much variety
  7. Most seem to like only one option “Chicken Sandwiches”
Implications-

1. Advertising should be more engaging and informative (people are not aware of Arby’s
2. Using humor would improve brand image from boring to more exciting/up-to-date
3. Wording should be short and to the point (don’t want to waste their time looking for/choosing a fast food place; they want a place that is fast, convenient, and has variety)
4. Tone of advertising should be funny and high-energy
5. Advertising should target college students since they visit fast food restaurants at least once or twice a week
6. They can gain more customers by improving marketing and offering promotions in addition to their ads on TV/print
Ads-

1. Our Arby’s advertising was developed based on attitudes towards overall fast food restaurant advertising
2. Also kept in mind how Arby’s compared to others in industry who are doing well/have good advertising (McDonalds, Carl’s Jr.)
3. Arby’s needs to increase its exposure and make itself more appealing to a broader audience
4. Many people were unaware of their menu and thought Arby’s only has meat sandwiches when it actually has salads, chicken, seafood, curly fries, and desserts
5. Arby’s needs to do a better job showcasing its variety of products to attract more customers
6. Print ads we make:
  1. One ad about curly fries
  2. One ad about inexpensive variety of sandwiches: “We’re more than just meat” or “We don’t just have the meats”
7. Our advertising is strong because:
  1. Attention-getting/memorable: humorous
  2. Communicates: variety of product offerings, brand name, easily understandable
  3. Engenders more favorable attitudes: more fun/upbeat, develops more favorable feelings toward brand, increases buying interest
  4. Advertising itself can be easily liked
  5. Advertising is not deceptive, unethical, or offensive
8. Our advertising weaknesses
  1. Hard demographic to penetrate because of Arby’s obscurity amongst the rest of the fast food chains.
  2. Hard to to show variety when menu that has a limited showcase of menu options.
  3. More difficult to advertise a business that has little exposure already.
  4. Showcasing our sandwiches at a lower price may cause customers attitude of the product to lower due to quality.
  5. Focusing on just sandwiches may cause the rest of the food items to diminish in demand.

Consumer Behavior in the Fast Food Industry

Background

Method

Findings

By conducting three focus groups and twenty-four in-depth interviews, our group was able to gather information on overall fast food consumption as well as opinions on fast food branding and advertising. We took it a step further by collecting attitudes specifically towards Arby’s restaurants and discussed ways the company could improve its image and appeal more towards college students.

We discovered that the most popular fast food restaurants visited by college students are In-n-Out, Carl’s Jr., Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, and Chipotle. Almost everyone explained that they visit these fast food chains during the school week, when they do not have enough time to make their own food, or late at night with their friends. Although a few respondents were more health-conscious, the overall trend indicated little to no concern for healthy choices on fast food menus. The most important factors when choosing a fast food restaurant include the consumer’s mood, as well as the food taste, restaurant location, speed of service, and value for money. When asked to state the elements they like about fast food chains overall, all respondents agreed that they enjoy fast service, low prices, and restaurants open twenty-four hours for convenience.

Although the respondents showed little care for healthy fast food items, they did mentioned that they do not like when the food is overly unhealthy, heavy, or not fresh. They do not like that at times, they cannot trust fast food advertising, especially when companies make false claims about ingredients. About half of the respondents also showed interest in the actual environment of fast food restaurants, stating that the ambiance is important when choosing where to dine and do not like when the interior of the store is boring or outdated. When asked what fast food items they purchased, everyone described burgers, sandwiches, fries, and tacos as their top choices. In addition, there was an overwhelmingly positive response towards curly fries, with several participants exclaiming, “Everyone loves curly fries!”

As for branding, a majority of respondents explained that all fast food chains are essentially the same, with some restaurants serving slightly better quality products than other similar chains. Overall, they agreed to little variation in regards to quality within the fast food industry. They are loyal to a select few restaurants, and since they want several meal alternatives, all explained that they often switch between their top choices based on their mood and what they are craving at the time. All participants enjoy humorous ads, with catchy jingles and slogans. They dislike deceptive, boring, or annoying advertisements that put extra effort into proving a point or making a joke. When the discussion switched focus to Arby’s, almost no one had seen Arby’s ads. Those who had seen the ads, were familiar with those on TV. They all explained that Arby’s advertisements do not stand out or make the food look appealing. They do not particularly find them funny and feel as though the company only targets men and meat lovers.

Implications