Every year the pace of humanity is increasing. Speed is one of the trends of our time. Therefore, fast food outlets are popular among city dwellers. They are associated with functionality and allow you to have a quick and nutritious snack without being distracted from current affairs.
Fast food joints are found at every turn. These are can be small, off-grid street stalls or restaurants of international chains. To stand out among competitors and attract the attention of consumers, a new fast food outlet needs branding.
At the initial stage of fast food branding, it is necessary to analyze the market: learn the characteristics of competitors and find out who the target audience of the brand is. Based on the needs and desires of the target audience, it is possible to develop a successful and unique strategy for promoting a fast food brand.
A bright and memorable name is an important element of fast food branding. Often when choosing a name, fast food outlets focus on the products they are going to produce. For example, Harland Sanders named his establishment Kentucky Fried Chicken because he wanted to sell fried chicken. In the 1990s, the new owners decided to expand the establishment’s offerings. In addition, a healthy lifestyle was becoming more and more popular. Therefore, the word fried had a negative impact on the brand image. Part of the negativity was also connected with the word Kentucky (the state was associated with not far away and redneck). To avoid negative associations, the name was shortened to KFC.
When creating a brand, it is important to choose the right fast food positioning. For example, Starbucks positioned their brand as “affordable luxury”. Their coffee shops offered visitors a quiet environment, a place to socialize and delicious coffee . Клиенты платят за атмосферу премиальности и уюта not just for the drink.
In order not to blend in with dozens of other coffee shops and maintain the brand image, Starbucks constantly monitors consumer sentiment. In the 21st century, it turned out that coziness was not enough to maintain premiumity. Wanting to retain customers, the company released its own variety of Starbucks Reserve coffee. The next step was to move away from the traditional image of coffee shops. In 2014, the first Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room was opened. The facility resembles a coffee factory, where beans are roasted, ground and coffee is made at the same time. Visitors can watch all the stages of the brewing process.
What matters is how consumers perceive the establishment. In order to create a positive brand image, fast food companies use the latest achievements. For example, McDonald’s uses virtual reality to give tours of its production facilities.
With the help of multimedia technologies, fast food can increase the level of service. According to analysts’ forecasts, the main competitor of McDonald’s by 2020 will be the Chick-fil-A chain due to its well-developed system of order-taking terminals.
Corporate identity of a fast food chain: finding your way
In fast food branding, the logo and visual design of the outlet plays an important role. When world-famous fast food chains are mentioned, most people think of their logos first. Often logos play off the name of the brand itself: the letter “M” at McDonald’s (although now the letter “M” is associated with the name, originally two curved lines symbolized the arches that decorated all the first restaurants of the chain), a red hat at Pizza Hut (a play on the word hut is consonant with hat, “hat” in English), pointer arrows at Subway (playing off the word “way”, “path” in English).
The color scheme of fast food is an important component of branding. It is known that colors affect people in different ways. The right color or shade can discourage appetite or increase it. It is generally believed that red color causes a feeling of hunger. Many establishments use red for their packaging and logos: Pizza Hut, Burger King and KFC. With the help of green color you can emphasize the eco-friendliness of products. This technique is used by Subway. In addition, it promotes calmness and tranquility.
We wrote about consumer perception of color in our color perception guide.
Unified visual solutions help to create a corporate identity for an establishment or chain. Corporate design applies to menus, uniforms, packaging and tableware. It is also used to design interior elements:
- menu board;
- posters and banners;
- signage;
- booths;
- navigation.
You can order the development of corporate identity elements in KOLORO. You can read more about this service here.
Fast food branding: the power of images
A brand is not only a set of visual elements. It also consists of the images and impressions that an establishment evokes in its visitors. When branding fast food, it is important to involve the emotional component. In order to retain old customers and attract new ones, you need to offer what they really need.
Misunderstanding the desires of the audience can lead to unpredictable consequences. For example, Burger King began to lose popularity and customers. To attract new consumers in 2013 Burger King decided to reorient the brand. Instead of the familiar burger, the new symbol of the company was to become French fries . Новый логотип и название Fries King did not appeal to consumers. The changes caused a wave of outrage. The company abandoned the idea of renaming and returned to the old concept.
Clear positioning of the establishment is important in branding. In 1991, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore invested in the Planet Hollywood chain. The concept of the institution turned out to be incomprehensible for the mass consumer. It was positioned as an institution with Hollywood luxury, but offered a menu of standard fast food. The establishment failed to gain regular customers. Its main visitors were tourists attracted by the star status of the point. In 1999, the company declared bankruptcy.
Fast food branding takes into account many different elements. Over time, the concept of the establishment may change and then rebranding will be required. For example, KFC changed its corporate style and packaging design. In addition, it was decided that the brand will be adapted to the socio-cultural peculiarities of the countries in which it was distributed. So in the US, the brand launched an advertising campaign with Colonel Sanders. It promotes a product called “Extra Crispy Chicken“. The image of the colonel should emphasize the origin and traditionality of the product. The rebranding for Russia was to emphasize the global nature of the KFC brand and its legendary origins.
KOLORO can help you create a strong brand that your target audience will love. You can read more about how we develop corporate identity here.
Fast food branding: a place in the sun
The number of establishments is constantly increasing, so they are fighting for the attention of customers. Branding an establishment allows you to make it attractive to consumers. It helps to explain why the client should choose this particular outlet. Therefore, fast food chains need to listen to the desires of consumers and change their promotion strategy if it does not attract customers.
In recent years, the trend for natural and organic has gained immense popularity. Fast food is increasingly trying to move away from the image of junk food.
The fast food chain Chipotle offers its visitors a “healthy menu”. The establishment believes that food must be fresh and cannot contain hormones, antibiotics and GMOs. Dyes, flavorings, preservatives and additives are removed from the composition of dishes. The brand is built on the concept of quick and healthy meals. Simple furnishings and dishes, menu-board without enticing images should emphasize that the main thing here is food. Visitors can choose their own taco or burrito toppings. Chipotle is called fast food of the new generation. Sometimes this system is called fast casual – visitors are served as in fast food, but they are offered healthy food. McDonald’s, Subway and KFC consumers are going to Chipotle.
Sometimes a brand can’t completely abandon an old menu because it will scare away previous customers. Then a few new items can be added to the menu to attract new customers. This is what McDonald’s did, including vegetable salads and low-calorie dishes in its menu .
Often the best thing fast food can come up with is to stay yourself. Fast food means fast food, and that’s a healthy quality in today’s world. This is why Burger King has done away with low-calorie potatoes and salad on their menu. First and foremost, this restaurant is a place where you can have a quick, tasty and hearty meal.
When creating a fast food brand, it is necessary to decide how it will differ from competitors. This can be done by tapping into areas not previously covered or by taking into account the needs of a certain segment of the population. Red Vog (UK) were the first in the world to open a vegan fast food chain in 2004. The chain has the option of cooking a vegan version of a vegetarian dish (vegans are stricter than vegetarians and do not consume animal products).
Fast food Pret a Manger (UK) has clearly defined what audience the brand will target. When the establishment opened, their main target audience was office workers. They needed food that could be taken out and eaten in the park, so they emphasized sandwiches. The establishment has more than thirty sandwich options, and there are seasonal specialties as well. From time to time, some items are removed from the menu, and new recipes replace them. The packaging of Pret a Manger products is as well thought out as possible, and sandwiches are convenient to eat without getting your hands dirty.
Evos (USA) is a high-tech fast food establishment. They use organic herbs and vegetables for their dishes. They blow potatoes with hot air instead of frying them in fat. They also cook meat in the same way.
An original approach can play an important role in fast food branding. In most cases, fast food offers universal food for the whole world. Less often, it offers food that is common in the region where it is sold. Susan Feniger invented an institution where you can try street food from different countries. The establishment is called Street and combines distinctive elements of different cultures in its design.
Narrowly specialized establishments are gaining in popularity . The specialty of the Nordsee restaurant (Germany) is fish dishes. It is the largest fast food restaurant in Europe serving exclusively fish dishes.
Brands with a sweet menu are also popular. Mamido Burger (Japan) sells original sweets: biscuits in the shape of French fries, patties made of chocolate mousse, and under the guise of pickles they put kiwi in a sweet burger.
Through branding, fast food outlets can show their values, ideas and create a positive reputation. Branding a fast food outlet is the way to excellence and new customers. You can order branding of a cafe or a street restaurant at KOLORO. Write to us and our managers will calculate the cost of your project today.
