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The state of QSRs and digital video: You want mobile with that?

“Fast foodies” of all types are consuming more and more media on their smartphones and tablets. But the portion of digital advertising budgets dedicated to mobile remains small. Our data shows that QSR advertisers dedicate only 16 percent to mobile, suggesting that this opportunity hasn’t been fully tapped.

August 10, 2015

By Alexander Hanthorn, research analyst on BrightRoll's research team. 

Which is easier: doing your taxes, or eating healthily? According to a 2012 Food & Health Survey, over 50 percent of Americans say taxes are easier. Given the time and effort it takes to prepare food at home, it’s no wonder that over 90 percent of Americans eat at QSRs. People who are busy and on-the-go are the QSR industry’s best friend. So how can QSR advertisers use digital video to connect with patrons?

To answer questions like those, BrightRoll’s research team has launched a new series of reports. These “State of Digital Video” reports capture the ever-changing state of digital video, and reflect how this dynamic landscape impacts specific industries and verticals. This month’s report focuses on — you guessed it — the QSR industry.

QSRs have a widespread, diverse, and large consumer base. The size and scope of their base makes this report applicable not only to QSR advertisers, but to advertisers of all kinds. In this blog post, we will take a high-level look at three of the report’s key findings:

Mobile is a way for advertisers to engage “on-the-go” QSR consumers wherever they are.

There are never enough hours in the day, especially for QSR consumers. Roughly two-thirds of Millennial moms, for example, consider convenience important when making everyday purchases. About 25 percent of this group considers themselves busy, and reports eating on the run. QSRs offer quick, convenient meals at low costs. How can QSR advertisers build relationships with their consumers as they spend more time out and about?

45 percent of QSR customers say that they use mobile as their primary device to stream video. This means that mobile presents a huge opportunity for QSR advertisers. “Fast foodies” of all types are consuming more and more media on their smartphones and tablets. But the portion of digital advertising budgets dedicated to mobile remains small. Our data shows that QSR advertisers dedicate only 16 percent to mobile, suggesting that this opportunity hasn’t been fully tapped.

Programmatic video brings unique opportunities to QSR advertisers.

Given the diverse consumer base of QSRs, the value of digital video to QSR advertisers is massive.  Whether you are leveraging geographic, behavioral, or device targeting, digital video enables advertisers to reach who they want, when they want.  In fact, according to a study by BrightRoll, nearly 60 percent of agencies say that targeting capabilities are the most valuable aspect of digital video advertising.

For advertisers who want to deliver specific messages to specific parts of their audiences, programmatic video opens the door. In fact, according to the same agency study, agencies expect programmatic video advertising spend to increase by 50 percent in 2015.

QSR Advertisers can now quantify the success of their digital video campaigns.

The ability to determine viewership of specific digital video ads has improved dramatically in recent years.  QSR advertisers can now determine how successfully their campaign drove brand lift, whether their campaign increased foot traffic into locations, and ultimately whether it led to an uptick in revenue.

Through digital video, advertisers can better determine what worked and what did not in their campaign strategies. This strengthens future media planning, and helps ad buyers get the most for their spend.

Alexander Hanthorn is a research analyst on BrightRoll's research team. When not at the office, he can be found producing techno music, brewing coffee on his Kalita Wave, listening to records, or riding his bike around the Bay Area. He also appreciates good cheeseburgers (in moderation).