Fast Food Banks on Cheap and Fun

Fast food is famous for being quick and cheap.  And these days, cheap is chic.  So fast food companies like Burger King and Taco Bell are rolling out the bargains and highlighting these money-saving specials any way that they can.  Taco Bell called in Charles Barkley in their recent “Five Buck Box” commercials to entice consumers to try out their meal deal:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jf5KfRaZShs" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

While fast food companies initially saw profits in the economic downturn, they are now facing sales dips in conjunction with higher unemployment rates.  As Ron Paul, the president of consulting firm Technomic explains to USA Today, people are getting more food from grocery stores and choosing to cook at home.

“Now, as the U.S. unemployment rate remains uncomfortably high, chains are struggling to keep Americans eating out at all.”
– Ben Steverman, BusinessWeek

Mac Snack Wrap

But the fast food leaders aren’t giving up.  Research from Consumer and Market Demand Network Papers proves that when fast food businesses promote low prices, demand increases, so these guys are persistent.  McDonald’s recently premiered their new Mac Snack Wrap for $1.59 to appeal to Big Mac Lovers.  They converted the famous sandwich into a tortilla form and made it cheaper.  Yum!

bkdouble

Burger King is also playing up the deals with their vast array of choices on the $1 Value Menu which includes the BK Double Cheeseburger and Crown-Shaped Chicken Tenders (yes, they went there).  I decided to check out the BK website to see how the company is promoting these tasty treats and stumbled upon their unique promotional tools.  For instance, BK is hosting the “$1 Talent Show” in which they ask consumers to upload videos of their $1 party tricks to receive Virtual Gift Cards for items off of the Value Menu.  They also have a homepage feature that allows users to customize their experience on the site through three different controls: Fun, Food, and King.  You can adjust the levels of each so if you want more food information than interactive games and contests, you can “have it your way.”  The company is having a blast with convergence and interactivity by getting consumers to play on their website and, hopefully, pay for their grub.

Billboard’s just don’t cut it anymore.  Digital is delicious.

One Reply to “Fast Food Banks on Cheap and Fun”

  1. Crown shaped chicken nuggets…wow.

    Aside from that, there appears to be a growing trend of digital marketing to promote, well, everything. And while I can’t stand the fast food industry (that’s a whole different topic!), I think their marketing strategies are very successful.

    Yes, digital is delicious. We eat it up every day!

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