News

Harris Interactive: Non-burger joints gaining ground

March 29, 2011

The quick-service world has always been burger territory, but that dynamic may be shifting a bit. A new 2011 Harris Interactive EquiTrend study found that non-burger restaurants are gaining consumer favorability as burger-centric joints remain flat.

Subway was the 2011 consumer darling, followed by Dairy Queen, Wendy's and McDonald's. The brands whose brand equity increased the most throughout the past year include Domino's Pizza, KFC and Taco Bell.

Harris' study found a particular inclination toward Domino's after the company launched an ad campaign admitting its shortcomings and consequent improvements.

"Domino's improvement shows the impact of transparency on consumer brand perception," said Jeni Lee Chapman, executive vice president of brand and communication consulting at Harris Interactive. "Consumers are more forgiving with companies that take responsibility and are forthcoming about their efforts to improve."

Other category results

In other categories, Panera Bread was named the 2011 Casual Dining Brand of the Year followed by a trio of Italian food restaurants — Carrabba's, Olive Garden and Maggiano's Little Italy.

M&M's Plain Chocolate Candy is the 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend Sweet Treat Brand of the Year, with Hershey's Milk Chocolate Candy Bars ranking second and last year's highest-ranked treat, Hershey's Kisses Chocolate Candy, ranked third.

Among beverage brands, Coca-Cola is the 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend Carbonated Beverage Brand of the Year, with Sprite making significant improvement to rank second, followed by 7-Up.

Among non-carbonated beverages, Dasani ranked highest among water brands. Blue Moon Beer was the highest-ranked beer brand for the second year in a row, followed by Samuel Adams and Guinness Stout.

"It's interesting to note that three of the top six brands in the carbonated beverage category are of the clear variety," said Chapman. "If 'sustainable' attitudes continue to increase, the brand perception of more natural beverages is also likely to improve."

The EquiTrend study measures equity, consumer connection, commitment, brand behavior, brand advocacy and trust to derive a brand's overall strength. This year's study was conducted online among more than 25,000 U.S. consumers over the age of 15.

A total of 1,273 brands were rated in 53 different categories.