Fast dining, also known as quick service restaurants (QSR), are going to continue to see growth, but with that growth comes increased consumer expectations and the need to stand out. How do you differentiate yourself in such a competitive industry? Most QSR are coming up with innovative and engaging digital experiences for their customers. This includes mobile capabilities and a larger online presence. As a result, QSR are getting more strategic with their social media marketing.
More often we see celebrity influencers included in QSR social media campaigns, especially music artist influencers. In fact, QSR is one of the biggest users of star power in their marketing campaigns. At Taillight, we have seen what a music artist influencer can do for a brand. An influencer can help differentiate content in a very saturated arena. Who can forget Justin Timberlake’s "I'm Lovin' It" collaboration with powerhouse brand, McDonald's? Or Starbucks’s recent collaboration with Ariana Grande, who’s name alone begs for a drink collaboration? The Starbucks Marketing Team capitalized on the star's love of Starbucks and her large social following. These stars have millions and millions of followers and their endorsements can help get the brand’s messaging out into the world in a very organic and natural way.
QSR are getting creative with how they incorporate an artist. For example, Pizza Hut created a Blake Shelton pizza flavor. He even posed as a Pizza Hut employee and sold pizzas at a store location in California. The Smokehouse BBQ Pizza, with its southern style and flavors, aligned well with Blake’s personal brand as well as his country music followers. Pizza Hut tapped into Blake’s southern charm and country roots to launch this new pizza, which made for a natural collaboration and seamless messaging.
QSR target audience and country music consumers have a lot in common. They are both made up of moms and millennials. The millennial country music listener is the fastest growing and majority segment of the fan base. In addition, country music millennials are 34% more likely to already have their 1st or 2nd child therefore the country music consumer checks both the millennial and the mom boxes. Using a country music star in their marketing, makes a lot of sense for QSR.
Now let’s talk about the country music consumer and it’s tie to QSR.
50% of Country Music consumers visited a QSR 9+ times in last 30 days.
Country fans go to a QSR more than two times a week.
Country music consumers spend $13.5B annually at QSR.
Restaurants spend $144.6M a year on radio ads which is the 5th highest advertising category.
According to the Country Music Association (CMA), Country Music listeners are fast food fanatics.
Country music parents spend more money on QSR, about $66.30 each month.
Taillight and its sister company Porchlight, have worked with many QSR on commercial and branded campaigns. With 20+ years in commercial production/advertising, combined with 20+ years in the country music industry, Taillight can bridge the two worlds. Contact us for more information!
