For whom the tills toll... for fast foods

Media24 local newspaper readers love their fast food, with 88% having bought fast food in the past three months, and a third buying fast food at least once a week. A whopping 38% are influenced by newspaper advertising when buying fast food, and 59% of readers ordered from their homes, with only 10% of readers willing to travel more than 10km from their homes to buy fast food.

These delectable insights were revealed in Wave 2 of Compass24 research, commissioned by Ads24, conducted by Ask Afrika, measuring readership, demographic profiles, and the shopping habits of readers in the Media24 local newspaper title footprint.

"There is a huge market for fast food in South Africa and of course fast food is all about convenience. Local newspapers are the perfect medium to advertise local specials and fast-food outlets, making life easy for potential customers. Fast-food brands that have engaging, exciting, and relevant, newspaper advertising will find there is a captive and hungry target market, just waiting to be tempted," says Tania Barzu, Head of Trade Marketing and Strategy at Ads24.

Fast foods still in the fast lane

In an article 'Tills still ring for fast food' on BD Live, Thekiso Anthony Lefifi says, "Consumers might be under pressure, but you wouldn't know it from the queue of international quick-service restaurants setting up shop in South Africa."

"So how is it that at a time when economists are warning of the consumer crunch, banks are seeing large defaults on loans and retailers such as Shoprite experiencing lower sales growth that there could be such scope for relatively more expensive fast food?," he asks, "Consumers, it seems, still want to eat out. Partly, these restaurants are cashing in on the fast-growing and often underestimated middle class - the primary reason why the fast-food market is now worth north of R17bn. Over the past two decades, this fast-food market has climbed 20%. And, for every 1% growth in South Africa's gross domestic product, there is a 2% jump in food services."

Ask Afrika's research shows that people's lives are changing, they are living increasingly fluid lives. The nine-to-five, three-square-meals-a-day routine is becoming a thing of the past. People want to be able to shop, eat and drink on their terms, where and when they feel like it.

"Fast food messaging needs to resonate with current consumer attitudes and societal pressures. It can be clever and humorous, tongue-in-cheek advertising often appeals to readers' palates, as well as their wallets. Pictures of fast food in print are highly effective persuading people to treat themselves," says Andrea Rademeyer, CEO and Founder of Ask Afrika.

A lifesaver

The pressures of modern life mean people find it increasingly easy to justify treating themselves. Pleasure principles are becoming pre-dominant. Consumers increasingly want to have their food and drink 'their way', with the ingredient options and flavourings of their choice.

"Are we experiencing a death of the kitchen, we watch TV cooking shows, whilst eating our fast food," says Rademeyer.

The Ask Afrika Icon Brand™ survey ranks brands that are loved and bought by all South Africans, cutting across all racial, cultural, and socio-economic divides, and consistently over the years food and drinks categories have taken the top positions.
"South African's are mostly unified by their palates despite huge societal disparities," says Rademeyer.

Internationally fast food, it seems is saving lives, an article in The Huffington Post tells how the London Fire Brigade (LFB) uses social media to save lives.