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Consumer perception of Burger King rises after Satisfries launch

October 3, 2013

Burger King's Satisfries launch last week has boosted consumer perception of the brand, especially among consumers who consider themselves to have "good or excellent" health and parents skills.

According to YouGov BrandIndex, a daily brand consumer perception research service, Burger King's Buzz score hit 2013 highs for these two groups shortly after the Satisfries' debut on Sept. 24.

The brand's new fries include 190 calories, 8 grams of fat and 201 milligrams of sodium. By comparison, Burger King's regular fries, which are still available, include 410 calories, 18 grams of fat and 570 milligrams of salt.

The crinkle-cut-style fries contain about 40 percent less fat and 30 percent less calories than McDonald's fries, according to a Burger King press release.

After the Satisfries' launch, YouGov BrandIndex asked respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?"

YouGov BrandIndex measurement scores range from 100 to -100 and are compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.

In the parent demographic, the Buzz score for Burger King moved from 1 on Sept. 14 to a 2013 peak score of 28 on Sept. 27. The score is currently 25.

In the healthy consumer demographic, Sept. 13 started with a 7 Buzz score, ramped up to a 2013 peak score of 20 on Sept. 26, and has moved slightly down to 19 since then.

WOM scores also rise

Also, Burger King's word of mouth scores experienced a similar rise throughout the past two weeks, particularly among parents.

The Word of Mouth score asks respondents: "Which of the following brands have you talked about with friends and family in the past two weeks (whether in person, online or through social media)?"

The Word of Mouth score among parents was 20 on Sept. 14, and hit 30 when the "Satisfries" were announced 10 days later. It stayed there for three more days after that. Burger King's current Word of Mouth score is 25.

For healthy consumers, Burger King's Word of Mouth score started its climb on Sept. 17 with an 11, then hit 16 on Sept. 26, where it has remained since.

All results were divided into two groups: adults with children under 18 years old, and adults 18 and over who consider themselves in either good or excellent health.

Fries King 'recrowning' effort

As part of the Satisfries' marketing campaign, Burger King announced it was temporarily changing its name to Fries King. The effort has included a social media announcement, complete with photos of a new logo and "Recrowning effort." Select Burger King restaurants will be operating as Fries King in Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami.

Additionally, Burger King's website and social channels have all incorporated the Fries King logo to support the experiential activation. The name change is for a limited time only.

The campaign can be followed using the hashtag #FRIESKING.

Burger King has also partnered with co-designers Dana Veraldi and Kevin Tekinel of DeerDana to create a limited edition Fries King t-shirt sold exclusively at American Two Shot in New York with proceeds benefiting the Burger King McLamore Foundation. The limited edition t-shirt features the Fries King logo and adage, "Happier than a bird with a French fry."

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