The Story Wave 23

1: McDonald’s Burgers Get a Quality Upgrade – Case Study

In April 2023, McDonald’s announced that they were upgrading the quality of their famed burgers. The burgers’ “glow up” includes softer buns, gooier cheese, and caramelized onions cooked alongside the burger patty. Burger improvements began rolling out to select US cities this spring and will hit nationwide availability by 2024.

• Looking at QuestBrand data, we can see that McDonald’s announced burger upgrades significantly impacted their brand equity.
• While McDonald’s overall brand equity score has gradually risen since the April announcement, their greatest growth can be seen in consumers’ perceived quality of the brand.
• After the announcement, consumers were more likely to describe the McDonald’s brand as “fun,” “customer centric,” “wholesome,” and “confident.”

Want to know more? Download the full case study today.

2: How Marketers can Appeal to a Divided Sports Betting Audience – AdAge Op-Ed

Thirty-three states (and DC) have legalized sports betting. Professional sports leagues have official betting partners…but sports betting does not enjoy universial support. In a recent op-ed for AdAge, Harris Poll co-CEO Will Johnson explores Americans’ conflicted feelings towards sports betting.

• Sports betting has a reputation issue: While most (63%) Americans think sports betting should be legal, just over half (54%) view sports betting positively.
• Leave some space: Almost three-quarters (71%) of US adults do not think sports teams should partner with sports betting companies.
• Men are from Mars, women from Venus: 26% of men, but only 9% of women, participate in sports betting.
• A young man’s game: A quarter of Millennials, but only 8% of Baby Boomers, participate in sports betting.

“The nation seems to be going through a microcosmic version of its long reconciliation with alcohol after the repeal of prohibition, which involved reluctantly acknowledging that while some find alcohol unpleasant, banning its consumption is impractical. It took the country 40 years to return to pre-prohibition levels of liquor consumption.” – Will Johnson

We will have to see how long it takes US adults to gain confidence in sports betting. For advertisers’ sakes, we hope it doesn’t take 40 years.

3: Wendy’s Social Media Accounts are More than Sassy…They’re Effective

Witty comebacks, searing jabs, clever roasts…all a day in the life of Wendy’s social media team. A far cry from most corporate marketing strategies, Wendy’s sizzling social media posts poke fun at competitors and customers alike. Surprisingly, this approach translates into an effective marketing strategy.

• According to QuestBrand data, consumers’ active social media use correlates with higher consumer ratings for Wendy’s brand equity and sales conversion funnel:

• The graph above tracks consumers’ purchase consideration of Wendy’s across the general population of US adults (red) and among active Facebook users (blue). Other than a brief evening out from March – April, active Facebook users consistently report a higher purchase consideration than the overall population.

Read the full brand story to learn more about Wendy’s unique social media strategy, and how it impacts the quick-service restaurant’s brand equity.