Zion & Zion Study Examines Brand Personalities of Top 26 Quick Service Restaurants

The market research team at Zion & Zion conducted an in-depth brand personality study of the nation's largest quick service restaurant (QSR) chains. The study examines where the QSRs sit on five brand personality dimensions: Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, Sophistication and Ruggedness.

May 8, 2019 - 12:03
Zion & Zion Study Examines Brand Personalities of Top 26 Quick Service Restaurants

The market research team at Zion & Zion conducted an in-depth brand personality study of the nation's largest quick service restaurant (QSR) chains. The study examines where the QSRs sit on five brand personality dimensions: Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, Sophistication and Ruggedness.

The findings of Zion & Zion's research have significant implications for QSR marketers:

  • Chick-fil-A ranked highest out of the 26 QSRs in three of the five brand personality dimensions (Sincerity, Excitement and Competence) and second in another (Sophistication).

  • Other brands that consistently ranked high were Sonic Drive-In (third in Sincerity and Excitement and fourth in Competence) and Dairy Queen (second in Sincerity, seventh in Excitement, sixth in Competence and fourth in Sophistication).

  • Some of the largest and most well-known brands displayed consistently less strength in brand personality dimensions, including Burger King (24th in Sincerity and 25th in Excitement, Competence and Sophistication), Papa John's (26th in Sincerity, 24th in Excitement and 21st in Competence), KFC (26th in Excitement, 21st in Competence and 24th in Sophistication), and McDonald's (21st in Excitement and 26th in Sophistication).

The Zion & Zion research team surveyed 4,363 adults ages 18 and up, in order to gain a deep understanding of the brand personalities of the 26 largest QSR chains in the U.S. Authors of the study are Aric Zion, MS; Fred Petrovsky, MFA; Jennifer Spangler; and Thomas Hollmann, MBA, PhD.

The full report is available here: Brand Personalities of the Top 26 Quick Service Restaurants