You don’t have to go very far to find an ad for a fast food brand or delivery service these days.
And new data from Pathmatics has highlighted the extent to which these brands have invested in digital marketing over the past 18 months.
The digital marketing intelligence platform analysed data from March 2020 to July 2021, to factor in various lockdowns across Australia.
The data shows there was one brand that was willing to spend considerably more than its competitors on digital ads.
Hungry Jack’s topped the list, with $28,000,000 in digital ad spend from March 1 2020 – July 31 2021.
KFC was next on the list with $19,900,000, followed by UberEATS ($10,400,000) and McDonald’s ($7,100,000).
The full list can be seen below.
Fast food/food delivery brands digital ad spend (March 1 2020 – July 31 2021:
| Fast food brand | Total advertising spend (March 1 2020 – July 31 2021) |
| Hungry Jack’s | $28,000,000 |
| Yum! Brands (KFC) | $19,900,000 |
| UberEATS | $10,400,000 |
| McDonald’s | $7,100,000 |
| Menulog | $6,500,000 |
| DoorDash | $6,300,000 |
| Subway | $2,800,000 |
| Nando’s | $2,500,000 |
| Domino’s Pizza | $1,700,000 |
| Deliveroo | $521,000 |
It is important to note, however, that partnerships between some of these fast food brands and food delivery services (eg McDonald’s had a relatively low spend, but has partnerships in place with delivery services such as Menulog, DoorDash and UberEats).
Pathmatics also found that ad spend from delivery services such as UberEATS spiked during harsh lockdowns.
Although UberEATS was the top spending delivery service, Pathmatics found Menulog has significantly ramped up its ad spend since launching ads in collaboration with Snoop Dogg and partnerships with both KFC and McDonalds.
“Whilst takeaways were once seen as a treat by many, a growing number of Aussies have had to rely on fast food brands and delivery services as we’ve battled with varying degrees of lockdowns. For those people living in NSW right now, confined to a 5km radius and stay at home orders, they’re particularly dependent on these services,” said Pathmatics regional director Eugene du Plessis.
“Brands have cleverly tapped into consumer interest for takeaways services being at an all time high, with Menulog’s collaboration with Snoop Dogg the most notable example. Both fast food brands and delivery services who have upped their ad spend during the various COVID waves across our nation have reaped the benefits, positioning them as reliable alternatives when dining out isn’t an option and for those afraid to go shopping for groceries.”
YouTube was far and away the top site for advertising spend during this period for fast food brands ($561,073,000) followed by Facebook ($9,713,000).
