Chick-fil-A tops in ‘brand intimacy’ ranking
Chick-fil-A is tops when it comes to making emotional connections with customers.
For the second year in a row, Chick-fil-A held the top spot as the fast-food company with the strongest levels of brand intimacy in MBLM's Brand Intimacy COVID Study, which analyzes brands based on emotional connections during the pandemic. Starbucks and Dunkin' ranked second and third, respectively
The remaining fast-food brands in the top 10 are McDonald's, Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Wendy's, and Subway. (Brand intimacy is defined in the MBLM report as the emotional science that measures the bonds consumers form with the brands they use and love.)
"Despite having to shut down at some points and weather significant supply chain challenges recently, the fast-food industry has drawn consumers closer and created stronger emotional bonds over the last year," said Mario Natarelli, managing partner, MBLM. "Brands in this industry have been able to capitalize on mobile ordering and digital drive-through lanes during the pandemic. This has created a new reality within which fast-food brands provide even more comfort and convenience to stressed consumers – a position they can effectively continue to reference as we increasingly return to 'normal life' in the year ahead."
The study noted that brand intimacy performance in the fast-food category has increased by 8% since the beginning of the pandemic. Daily usage has also risen by 8%. Also, the willingness to pay 20% more for fast food products and services has increased by 43% compared to last year's COVID study.
Additional significant fast-food industry findings are below.
- Fast food continues to perform better with men than with women, and with younger versus older consumers.
- More than 32% of consumers have an increased positive emotional connection with fast-food brands since MBLM's 2020 COVID study.
- Starbucks is the top brand with men, while Chick-fil-A is the top brand with women.
To view the fast-food industry findings, click here.