A YouGova multinational online research company, analyzed indicators from its YouGov BrandIndex tool, to evaluate the performance of the two chains that launched limited editions of sandwiches, almost simultaneously, in Brazil in January: McDonalds e Bobs.
On January 17, McDonald’s revealed the return of the McFish, a fish sandwich that the brand stopped selling in 2019. And just two days later, Bob’s presented the new Mortadella Sandwich, the company’s tribute to the 470 years of So Paul. Coincidentally, the two products would also be on sale at the same time, in the last days of January.
Which of the two networks fast food Did you manage to prevail in this improvised “battle of sandwiches” in Brazil? BrandIndex data reflects that the return of the McFish did not generate the same enthusiasm among the general population that one might expect, considering that the McDonald’s fish sandwich even had an official movement for its return on social media. Your Buzz rating stayed the same, and even dropped, between January 10th and February 8th.
This rating reflects how many people have heard stories about the brand on social media, in the news, or by talking to friends and family, as well as how positive (or negative) those stories are. On January 10, just a week before announcing the return of McFish, McDonald’s had a Buzz Score of 39.4 points. On February 8th (the latest data available), a few days after its release to the general public (February 6th), its Buzz score was just 34.8 points. Neither the announcement, nor the pre-order release, nor the general release appear to have created a spike in interest.
The same phenomenon can be observed in other key BrandIndex indicators for McDonald’s. Its Consideration score (which shows the percentage of consumers who would consider including the brand in their next purchasing decision) fell from 42.8 points on January 10th to 34 points on February 8th. Even the Word of Mouth Exposure (how many people talked about the brand with friends and family) and Advertising Awareness (how many Brazilians remember seeing a commercial) indices showed drops of up to 10 points in this period.
The situation at Bob’s wasn’t much better. On January 12, a week before revealing the launch of its sandwich, the brand’s Buzz score was 16.1 points. On February 7, a week after the new sandwich was available to the general public, its performance on this indicator was already just 10.6. In other words, the company fell nearly six full points in the course of just a few weeks.
At the same time, it is important to note that the trend in Bob’s ratings (as opposed to that observed at McDonald’s) reflects some positive reactions to the sandwich’s launch. Between February 1st and 8th, the days immediately following the launch of Sanduba de Mortadela on January 31st, signs of a positive trend can be observed. Furthermore, the steepest drop in its rankings during the first month of the year appears to precede the sandwich announcement.
Bob’s Advertising Awareness and Consideration ratings also appear to have benefited slightly from the launch of the brand’s new sandwich, as they show a small trend of improvement in the days after January 31st. However, these movements are small and, most importantly, the network of fast food still shows a consistent drop in Word of Mouth Exposure and Current Customer rates during the period.
Are limited edition sandwiches a good strategy?
Data from YouGov Global Profiles indicates that both Bob’s and McDonald’s had a substantial challenge from the start. In Brazil, according to data from the platform on January 19, 44.1% of adult consumers eat fast food less frequently than once a month or never. This is not one of the highest percentages among the 48 countries analyzed, but it is above the number recorded for all consumers surveyed by the platform (37.4%).
Furthermore, according to information from YouGov Profiles, Brazilians who consume fast food relatively frequently seem to be much more reluctant to strategies such as the relaunch of McFish and the new Mortadela Sanduba. Compared to the general population, consumers who eat once a week (or more frequently) at these types of restaurants are more likely to believe that special events organized by brands are just a fad or an excuse to extract money from customers. consumers. They are also more likely to distance themselves from time-limited initiatives.
Methodology
YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Buzz scores for fast food restaurants are based on the question: “In the LAST TWO WEEKS, which of the following restaurants or delivery services have you heard anything POSITIVE/NEGATIVE about (either in the news, in advertising, or in conversations with friends and family) ?” and delivered as a net score between 100 and +100. Scores are based on a daily sample average of 203 Brazilian adults between January 7 and February 8, 2024. Numbers are based on a two-week rolling average.
YouGov Global Profiles a globally consistent database of 1,000+ questions across 48 markets. The information is based on ongoing data collection among adults 16+ in China and 18+ in other markets. Sample sizes for YouGov Global Profiles fluctuate over time, but the minimum sample size is always around 1,000. Data for each market uses nationally representative samples outside of India and the United Arab Emirates, which use representative samples of the urban population, and China, Egypt, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Philippines, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, which use representative samples of the online population.
YouGov Profiles are based on continually collected data and ongoing research, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Profile data for Brazil is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender and region.
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