Download - Market Research - Fast Food Restaurants

M A R K E T R E S E A R C H : F A S T F O O D R E S T A U R A N T

M C D O N A L D ’ S V S B U R G E R K I N G Beatriz Fernández

Alonso

1

vdfredseeddddddddddddddddddddddddddesddf

CITY UNIVERSITY LONDON: SHORT COURSES

MARKET RESEARCH

FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS:

MCDONALD’S VS. BURGER KING

M A R K E T R E S E A R C H : M C D O N A L D ’ S V S . B U R G E R K I N G



Alonso

2



Alonso

3

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S :

1. MIND MAP.................................................................................................. Page 5

2. MARKET RESEARCH DESIGN…………………………………………………………………….Page 6

a. The Market Research Brief – A statement of the problem

b. The Market Research Proposal

- Research Objectives

- Suggested approach and research targets

- Budget

- Reporting requirements

- Type of research

- Timetable

- Preferred approach and methodologies

3. DESK RESEARCH: SECONDARY DATA………………………………………………………Page 10

4. PRIMARY DATA: FOCUS GROUPS...............................................................Page 14

a. Why I have used Focus Groups?

b. Planning and Recruiting Groups

c. Number of Groups

d. Venues of Groups

e. Getting Respondents to attend

f. Interview Discussion Guide

- Pilot question Guide

- Final Question Guide

- Limitations

g. Conclusions

5. PRIMARY DATA: QUESTIONNAIRE………………………………………………………....Page 20

a. Why I have used Questionnaires?

b. Type of questionnaire

c. Types of questions

d. Questionnaire

- Pilot Questionnaire

- Final Questionnaire

- Limitations

e. Conclusions



Alonso

4

6. OBSERVATION….........................................................................................Page 24

a. Why I have used Observation research?

b. Observation Data

c. Limitations

d. Conclusions

7. DATA COLLECTION………………………………………………………………………………….Page 26

a. Qualitative Research

b. Quantitative Research

- Why not? Face-to-face interviewing / Telephone interviewing /

In home/doorstep/executive/street / Postal Surveys / Hand

delivery surveys / Fax Surveys

- Why yes? On-line surveys and Street Surveys

c. Observation Research

d. Eye Tracking

8. DATA ANALYSIS………………………………………………………………………………………Page 31

a. Quantitative Data Analysis:

- The Analysis of Closed Questions

- The Analysis of Open – Ended Questions

- The Analysis of numerical responses

- Multivariate analysis

b. Qualitative Data Analysis

9. REPORTING………………………………………………………………………………………......4

a. Qualitative Data

- Verbatim comments

b. Quantitative Data

- Charts

10. BILBIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………..……………………..Page 47

11. APPENDIX……………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 48

a. Pilot Discussion Guide

b. Pilot Questionnaire



Alonso

5

1. M I N D M A P

A mind map is a diagram used to visually outline information. A mind map is often created

around a single word or text, placed in the center, to which associated ideas, words and

concepts are added. Major categories radiate from a central node, and lesser categories are

sub-branches of larger branches. Categories can represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items

related to a central key word or idea. Here below is my own Mind Map:



Alonso

6

2. M A R K E T R E S E A R C H D E S I G N :

A) THE MARKET RESEARCH BRIEF: A STATEMENT OD THE PROBLEM

The research brief identifies the marketing problem/need on which the survey is expected to

focus. It provides direction to the entire research activity. The more time spent planning the

research, the better the outcomes are likely to be. Ultimately, it helps you clarify your

objectives and prioritize what you want from the research.

“The more focused the objectives, the more focused the result”

This is the most important part of the brief, as it specifies where the research fits in your

marketing activity, and more specifically, the types of decisions and plans that will be made on

the basis of the research.

A lot of people often eat in fast food restaurants, although it is known that they have a worse

quality. Fast food has become the world's most popular substitute for eating at home in cities

across the globe. Today, the fast food industry has become a fiercely competitive arena where

brand recognition and loyalty rules. It's is tasty, convenient, inexpensive and fast a factor

which makes it dear to millions of people who consume it on a daily basis. What also makes it

popular is the fact that there is no preparation required before meals and no dishes to clean

afterward. But, what is the main reason of the success of the fast food restaurants?

McDonalds and Burger King are famous fast-food restaurants. Both of these restaurants have

been in the business for more than 50 years. McDonald's and Burger King are often found in

close proximity to one another; at the same exits on the interstate, across the street, down the

road, or around the corner from each other. But, which restaurant is the favorite of the

people, McDonald’s or Burger King? Why? People really can recognize and differentiate the

flavour of their burgers? Which one is the best in terms of price-quality?

Aggressive marketing and innovative advertising has not only succeeded in making the fast

food industry truly massive, but they have also drawn fire from critics ranging from their

advertising strategies, to the unwanted attention from public health concerns. With massive

promotional budgets, and smart advertising by adapting to public sentiments and moods, fast

food industry will continue to be a force to be reckoned with. But, Which marketing is most

aggressive with their competitors? And more original? Are preferences led by the marketing

or by the food’s quality?

“Fast food is well and truly a global phenomenon”



Alonso

7

B) RESEARCH PROPOSAL:

- RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:

Detailed objectives of what I need to know.

1. Firstly, I would like to discover the reasons because of what people usually eat in fast food

restaurants and what people think about this type of restaurants.

2. The second target is to know which restaurant is the favorite, McDonald’s or Burger King

and prove if they can differentiate the food of both of them.

3. Finally, I would like to conclude if their preferences are led by the marketing or by the

taste and quality of their food.

- SUGGESTED APPROACH AND RESEARCH TARGETS:

I am interested in researching preferences of customers that usually eat fast food, above all

workers and young people.

- PREFERRED APROACH AND METHOLDOLOGIES:

How I am going to collect my data?

1. Focus groups: designing a discussion guide, recruiting a group of 5 people and collecting

data through group interaction.

2. E-mail questionnaires: designing a questionnaire with 10-15 questions and sending it by e-

mail to 20 people minimum, collecting the data and analyzing the results.

3. Observation research: Looking for a place with both restaurants, one next to each other,

and observing how many people are coming and going, how old are them, how many people

are in both restaurants at the same time, how are their storefronts and what are the

differences between them. Analyzing the results and draw conclusions.

4. Motivation: I am going to motivate people using samples, offering them burger slides in

order to prove if they can differentiate between both types. Also, I will show pictures to make

it more fun.

- REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:

Identify any requirements you might have:

1. Soft Copy: Narrative report.



Alonso

8

2. Hard Copy: Final Word report printed.

3. PowerPoint Presentation: PowerPoint deck of slides which doubles as the presentation and

the report.

- TYPE OF RESEARCH:

This research will be exploratory and causal:

1. Exploratory Research; it is the first step in the research process. It enables research problem

to be closely defined, it tends to use more of published data, it provides a speedy and

economic way of acquiring overview of the problem and its relevant factors and it is useful in

developing hypothesis about specific markets like which fast food restaurant is the favorite

one in the market and what are the reasons.

2. Causal Research; this research attempts to identify cause-and-effect relationships between

specific market behavior, such as variation in pricing, advertising on products/brands…etc, like:

Better publicity more sales

More expensive fewer sales

Better quality more sales.

- MARKET RESEARCH TIMETABLE:

I will be doing the research for 10 weeks, from 1st October until 3th of December. Each week, I

will do the part of the research that has been explained in class. The forecast is to work in the

research at least 7 hours per week.

My Market Research Timetable:

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10

Commissioning meeting

Market Research Design

Secondary Data

Focus Groups

Qualitative debrief

Questionnaire design

Sample Composition

Fieldwork

Collecting Quantitative Data

Analysis

Presentation Development

Presentation



Alonso

9

- BUDGET:

Any indication of budget is helpful, as it helps define the scale of the project, providing some

financial guidelines to work within. It also helps researchers to work on providing the best

solution within your means.

I have to:

- Print out the questionnaires.

- Print out the draft copy of the Word Document and bind it in order to be more professional.

- Also, I have to buy some hamburgers from both restaurants in order to give interviewers

some samples to prove if they can differentiate both burgers or not.

The forecast is to spent 40 pounds in total



Alonso

10

3. S E C O N D A R Y D A T A : D E S K R E S E A R C H

- MARKET AND STRATEGIC OVERVIEW:

The term 'fast-food' relates to food that can be prepared very

quickly. The fast food industry has its roots in the food-for-sale

stands that were part and parcel of ancient Roman and East Asian

societies.

Fast food has become the world's most popular substitute for

eating at home in cities across the globe. It is an American original

invented and grown in America. It is a detailed reflection of

American attitudes and culture. It's is tasty, convenient,

inexpensive and fast a factor which makes it dear to millions of

people who consume it on a daily basis. What also makes it

popular is the fact that there is no preparation required before

meals and no dishes to clean afterward .

An overview of the fast food industry highlights the availability of meals that suffice the need

to eat amidst tight work schedule. This has offered great respite to parents who shuttle

between work and home for major part of the day. Delicacies like fish and fries, vegetarian

and non-vegetarian burgers and pizzas are washed down with great relish, with ales and

aerated drinks served complimentary at many of these fast food restaurants. Though

accompaniments like coleslaw, baked potatoes and mushy peas satisfy the established and

widely accepted compulsion for vegetable-intake, the fried foods are becoming addictive,

depriving the modern child of a balanced diet. There is no dearth with regards to the variety

available at these outlets. Fast food franchise chains such as Subway, Burger King, McDonald's,

Pret-a-Manger and Pizza Hut cater to demands for seafood, lean meat, special diet meal

components, and other considerable regional variations. Snacks such as sandwiches and

baguettes are the result of experiments within the fast food industry.

Most fast food variants share similarities with distant cuisines and cultures. This industry now

thrives on international appeal promoted by niche chains. The development of healthier

alternatives to the conventional servings at fast food restaurants, has resulted in mass

promotion of portable foods that can be put together by the consumers themselves. At many

outlets and drive-ins, the customers can see the food being prepared, thus confirming to

advertisements that flaunt hygienic standards. Standardized menus, signage and a unique

ambiance are flaunted at take-away services and sit-ins all over the world. The concept of eat-

on-the-go not only eliminates the need for traditional cutlery, but also enables customers to

indulge in foods that are characteristic of certain cultural or ethnic traditions. The common

menus include pitas, fried chicken, nuggets and tacos, served along with complimentary salads

and breads. The fast food industry now operates out of convenience stores, elaborate

restaurants and independent vendors, who have popularized chant sales-pitches, standardized

cooking and production methods, and easy availability of low-cost delicacies.



Alonso

11

Today, the fast food industry has become a fiercely competitive arena where brand

recognition and loyalty rules. Aggressive marketing and innovative advertising has not only

succeeded in making the fast food industry truly massive, but they have also drawn fire from

critics ranging from their advertising strategies, to the unwanted attention from public health

concerns. Fast food is well and truly a global phenomenon. With massive promotional budgets,

and smart advertising by adapting to public sentiments and moods, fast food industry will

continue to be a force to be reckoned with.

The top 20 fast food restaurants totaled $117 billion in sales in 2011, 85% of sales for the top

50 restaurants; and sales for the twelve restaurants in our full analysis totaled $98 billion

representing 71% of sales. McDonald’s led the market with $30 billion in sales, a 22% share of

the top 50 restaurant sales. The next four, Subway, Burger King, Starbucks, and Wendy’s, had

$8 to $10 billion each in sales and 6% to 7% of the market. The three YUM! Brands restaurants

in the top 20 (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC) ranked sixth, seventh, and ninth individually.

Together their sales totaled $16.7 billion, or 12% of the market, and placed YUM! Brands in

second place behind McDonald’s.

Restaurant 2010 Sales (mill) 2011 Sales (mill) Number of US locations

Source; QSR News

- MCDONALD’S VS. BURGER KING; A DUEL TO DECIDE WHICH TRULY RULES THE ROAD!




road, or around the corner from each other. Each has their own versions of burger chiefs in the



Alonso

12

McDonald's Big Mac or the BK Whopper. For breakfast, you can choose the McDonald's

McMuffin or the BK Croissan'wich. Operating at very similar locations, each restaurant chain

has created slightly differing choices of menu items which are very similar, yet ultimately so

different.

When comparing the two, McDonalds is more famous than Burger King, and the former has a

wider presence than Burger King.

When comparing the two burgers, it can be seen that the McDonalds’ burgers are lighter than

Burger King’s. It can also be seen that McDonalds’ burgers weigh 100 gm. whereas Burger

King’s weighs about 120 gm. In fat content, Burger King’s has more in content than McDonalds.

McDonalds’ burgers contain about 9 gm. of fat whereas Burger King’s contain about 12 gm. of

fat.

There are also many differences that can be seen in the service of the two restaurants. “The

food will be always hot,” is the slogan pertaining to the service policy of McDonalds. When

going to the McDonalds restaurant, you get quality service. They concentrate more on the

quality of the service than the speed with which the dishes are served. An employee just takes

only one order at a time, and the dish is prepared. It is only after the first customer is served

that the employee addresses the next customer. Burger King is known to provide the customer

with many choices and also to provide quicker service. When comparing McDonalds’ service to

the service at Burger King, Burger King’s is faster.

One can also see certain differences in the organizational structure. In McDonalds, the order is

taken by an employee, and the same employee serves the dish. However, at Burger King, the

order is taken at one place, and the food is served at another place.

The food at McDonalds is made in mass production. For example, the burgers that you buy at

McDonalds have been already made and not made when you order it. At Burger King, the

toppings are only added after getting the order

Some Data:

- The first Burger King was opened on December 4 1954 in Florida and was an instant

hit. Today there are 11,200 burger king franchises thought 61 countries. That's a lot of

whoppers which by the way have been around since 1957.

- The first McDonald's was opened in 1940 by two brothers named McDonald in

California. There are McDonalds restaurants in 120 countries and they serve about 54

million customers a day.

- McDonalds has sit down restaurants, drive through and new MC Café's. Burger King

has driven through and sit down restaurants.



Alonso

13

- Some McDonalds have play areas for kids but Burger King doesn't. Both are

nicknamed America favorites but it really depends on who you talk to as to the answer

you will receive.

- McDonalds has 447,000 employees called crew members while Burger King has

340,000 employees. McDonalds gets more revenue per year estimated about 2,620

billion dollars a year than Burger King's impressive 270 million net revenue.



Alonso

14

4. P R I M A R Y D A T A : F O C U S G R O U P S

“Focus group is a research technique used to collect data through group interaction on a topic

determined by the researcher. It comprises a small number of carefully selected people who are

recruited to a group discussion based on their commonality of experience”

A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their

perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept,

advertisement, idea, or packaging.

A) WHY I HAVE USED FOCUS GROUPS?

I have used focus groups because they actively involve people, the people attending the group

have an experience or interest in common, they provide in-depth qualitative data and the

discussion is focused to help us understand what is going on. Focus groups deliver quantitative

data that is rich in words and descriptions, rather than numbers.

I am going to use it like a supplementary tool to a survey, where focus groups are used to

enhance alternative means of data collection. Typically this would be as a precursor to a

quantitative stage – determining the issues to be covered in the structured interviewing and

giving insights into the problems or opportunities that are being researched.

Focus groups are perfect for questions like: what would happen if…?. They work because

delegates can digest the points raised by other members and, as they consider the implications

of issued raised, further ideas may be sparked off which would remain untapped in a personal

interview. This interaction creates a “dynamic” in the group, as if the eight or nine separate

brains have been wired together and issues are challenged until a general consensus is

achieved.

With focus groups I want to answer mainly the question of: If you want to eat fast food and

McDonalds / Burger King (the worst restaurant for the respondents) is the nearest, you will

look for the other one, or you will go to the nearest?

B) PLANNING AND RECRUITING FOCUS GROUPS

I have recruited groups of 5 members each one. These small groups are effective since even

with this small number there is sufficient scope for the cross-fertilization of ideas. Also, this

small number of members has the advantage of allowing me to pay more attention to the

attitudes and expressions of the participants.

C) NUMBER OF GROUPS

I have conducted two focus groups in order to obtain a better feel and counter the possibility

of a biased response.



Alonso

15

D) VENUES OF GROUPS

The first focus group was in the City University of London, where this short course takes place,

and I used the pilot question guide.

The other two focus groups took place in the dining room of a residence, in New Mansion

House Hostel, in Lancaster Gate, because it is easily accessible, well known in the area and the

room is small and intimate. It is easily accessible for the respondents, which are living in this

residence.

E) GETTING RESPONDENTS TO ATTEND

Because focus groups rely on such a small number of respondents, it is essential that care be

taken to recruit the correct profile. The recruiter needs to communicate enthusiasm for the

event and to make the respondents feel that the success of the group is dependent on their

attendance. It is usual to give an incentive to respondents to encourage their attendance.

In my case, I have got respondents to attend giving them some burger slides for free. I have

used samples like an incentive for respondents to attend and complete the discussion guide.

Also, I have used funny pictures and advertisements to attract the attention of the

respondents.

F) INTERVIEW DISCUSSION GUIDE

- Pilot Question Guide

(APPENDIX 1)

- Final Question Guide

The key element is the group process and interaction between the group members.

Groups always start with an introduction from the moderator explaining the purpose of the

meeting and what can be expected to happen:

INTRODUCTORY PHASE

Fast food has become the world's most popular substitute for eating at home in cities across

the globe. It is an American original invented and grown in America. It is a detailed reflection of

American attitudes and culture. It's is tasty, convenient, inexpensive and fast a factor which

makes it dear to millions of people who consume it on a daily basis. What also makes it

popular is the fact that there is no preparation required before meals and no dishes to clean

afterward.



Alonso

16




road, or around the corner from each other. Each has their own versions of burger chiefs in the

McDonald's Big Mac or the BK Whopper. For breakfast, you can choose the McDonald's

McMuffin or the BK Croissan'wich. Operating at very similar locations, each restaurant chain

has created slightly differing choices of menu items which are very similar, yet ultimately so

different.

DISCUSSIVE PHASE

1. Do you like fast food? Why?

2. Describe with a sentence fast food.

3. How often do you eat fast food?

A) Occasionally

B) Usually

C) In the week-end

D) Never

4. In which of the following situations do you usually eat fast food?

A) When I have to work

B) Traveling

C) Going out with some friends

D) When I don’t want to spend so much money

E) When I am in a hurry

F) Others (which others)

5. Which fast food restaurant do you prefer?

A) McDonald’s

B) Burger King

5. Why do you prefer it?

6. McDonald's realized that one of consumers' major complaints was the healthiness of its

menu, and the company has started to deliver healthier options.

From 1 to 5, being 1 the lowest and 5 the highest, how much do you think they are healthy?

And tasty?

7. Which one, McDonald’s or Burger King, do you think is the best one regarding to price -

quality?



Alonso

17

8. Do you think you can differentiate the flavor of their burgers? (Now I will give them a

sample to try both burgers, but without saying from which restaurant are they) This way I will

look if they can differentiate them. Which one do you prefer? Why?

9. Which products do you prefer?

A) Burgers

B) Chips

C) Nuggets

D) Desserts

E) Coffee


10. Look these two pictures about both types of restaurant. Which type of restaurant do you

think is most comfortable? Why?

A) Burger King B) McDonald’s

11. Which stuff do you think is more friendly and polite? Do you have any good/bad

experience with them?

12. Regarding to the following advertisements (and also using your own knowledge of their

marketing), which Marketing do you think is more original?

A) McDonald’s



Alonso

18

B) Burger King:

12. Here below you have some pictures and videos that show you some aggressive

advertisement campaigns launched in order to attack directly their direct competitor. Which

marketing do you think is more aggressive with their competitors?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nagr1gQeAs&feature=player_embedded

A) Mc Donald’s B) Burger King




Alonso

19

9. Which packaging do you prefer?


Why?

A) Comfort

B) Colors

C) Quality

D) Marketing

10. If you want to go to a fast food restaurant, and the nearest one is ________ (the one

that they don’t prefer), you will go there, or you will look for a _________ (the one that they

prefer)

THE SUMMARISING PHASE

Thank you for your time and attention!

- Limitations:

Some people find self-disclosure more difficult than others. People can feel self-doubt and

may lack confidence in expressing their views. Listening to others who are articulate and

confident may make them still more fearful of showing themselves up.

Also, to carry out research requires disclosure of sensitivity, personal information and

experiences in a group setting is confounded with inherent problems.

In my case, I had some problems about vegetarian people, because I didn’t realize that

perhaps some people were vegetarian, and I gave them some meet burger slides, and they

couldn’t participate in this part of the discussion guide, and perhaps they felt bad. As

moderator, I should have thought about that and have bought also vegetarian burgers.



Alonso

20

5. P R I M A R Y D A T A : Q U E S T I O N N A I R E :

A) WHY I HAVE USED QUESTIONNAIRES?

The questionnaire plays a number of important roles. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the

extraction of data from a respondent. It serves as an “aide memoire” to the interviewer so

that there is no necessity to learn the questions off by heart. It provides consistency in the way

the interview is conducted, especially as frequently a number of interviewers are working on

project at the same time. Questionnaires are also an important part in the data collection

methodology. They allow responses to be recorded in a consistent way to facilitate data

analysis.

I have used questionnaires because they are cheaper and you can get a lot of responses in a

short time. It offers efficiencies to researchers, they are easier to analyze and are usually

quicker to administer and ask. It is important to complement questionnaires with other types

of surveys, like focus groups and face-to-face because they are more personal, and you can see

the expressions and attitudes better than with questionnaires.

B) Types of questionnaire

A questionnaire can be administered in three different ways; by phone, face-to-face and self

completion (through mail or Internet). At the same time, these three incongruent methods

require different form of questionnaires: structured, semi-structured and unstructured.

I have chosen structured questionnaires because they consist of closed or prompted questions

(predefined answers) that require the designer to be aware of or to anticipate all possible

answers. They may be carried out over the telephone, face-to-face or by self-completion. But

also, I have used semi-structured questionnaires, because I have added some open questions

because it enables a mix of qualitative and quantitative information to be gathered.

C) TYPES OF QUESTIONS:

In my market research, I have used different types of questions:

1. Classification questions: these questions are used to classify the information once it has

been collected. I have used them only for gender and age, because I consider that they are

enough for the objectives of my research.

2. Yes/No questions: I have used it above all for attitudinal questions. Usually, I have used it

with a followed open question like “why?” in order to know the reason of their response.

3. Open questions; I have used this type of questions because the respondent have the

freedom to express an answer in any way they like.



Alonso

21

4. Multiple choice: In this type of questions respondents are told what response codes they

can choose. I have used it because it offers efficiencies to researchers, they are easier to

analyze and are usually quicker to administer and ask.

5. Scaled questions: the respondents are asked to give a numerical score that is often out of

a number (usually researchers use 5-point scale) where the large number is the best and 1

is the worst.

6. Word association; words are presented and the respondent mentions the first word that

comes to mind. I have used this type of questions in order to know the main difference

between both restaurants.

7. Sentence completion; respondents complete an incomplete sentence.

8. Picture completion; respondents fill in an empty conversation balloon. It can be a funnier

question and it helps to attract the attention of the respondents.

D) QUESTIONNAIRE:

- Pilot Questionnaire:

(APPENDIX 2)

- Final questionnaire:

Finally, after a lot of changes, the design of the final questionnaire is:

Beatriz Fernández Alonso. Market Research. Fast Food Restaurants. Burger King Vs

McDonald’s

1. Personal Data:

Age: A) < 20 B) 20 – 30 C) 30 – 40 D) >40

Gender: A) Male B) Female

2.

3. Describe fast food with two words: ………………………. …………………………


A) Occasionally

) Everyday

C) In the week-end

D) When I have to work

E) Traveling



Alonso

22


A) McDonald’s

B) Burger King

6. Why do you prefer it? (You can choose more than one)

A) Quality/Health

B) Quantity

C) Flavor

D) Price

E)Other:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7. From 1 to 5, being 1 the lowest and 5 the highest, how much do you think they are healthy? McDonald’s; …….

Burger King; …….

8. Which products do you prefer? (you can select more than one)

A) Burgers C) Nuggets E) Coffee

B) Chips D) Desserts

9. From 1 to 5, being 1 the lowest and 5 the highest, how much do you like the following food?

A) Burgers McDonald’s …. Burger King ….

B) Chips McDonald’s …. Burger King ….

C) Nuggets McDonald’s …. Burger King ….

D) Desserts McDonald’s …. Burger King ….

E) Coffee McDonald’s …. Burger King ….

10. Which type of restaurant do you think is the most comfortable?


11. Which Marketing do you think is more original regarding to the pictures of below?

A) McDonal’s:

B) Burger King:

Why?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………



Alonso

23

12. Regarding to the video and pictures and the link of below, which marketing do you think is more aggressive with their competitors? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nagr1gQeAs&feature=player_embedded

A)McDonald’s B) Burger King

13. Which packaging do you prefer? A) Burger King B) McDonald’s C) Both, I don’t have any preference about packaging

If you prefer one of them, why?

A) Comfort B) Colors C) Quality

D) Marketing

14. Describe each restaurant with a sentence:

McDonald’s: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Burger King:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

ç




Alonso

24

6. O B S E R V A T I O N :

A) WHY I HAVE USED OBSERVATION?

Observation is still used in a conventional sense, using the eyes and recording the data. I have

used it because, although it is time-consuming, this way need not be costly and it can play an

important supporting role in many different types of market research project.

There are different types of observation; the audit, observation in shopping surveys, in product

research, in poster checks and in checking television viewing.

I have chosen the observation in shopping surveys and it consists in a fieldworker that plays

the role of the public buying or enquiring about the product, and the fieldworker records the

experience in as much detail as p0ossible on a questionnaire, usually at a later time so as not

to be obvious. This is common practice in hotels, restaurants and car dealers.

Observation is an obvious means of recording shopping traffic, and it can be measured by

fieldworkers counting heads. Observation plays a very obvious role in shopping and restaurant

surveys, where a researcher can easily walk into a store or a restaurant to check everything

about the product.

B) OBSERVATION DATA:

In my observation research, I went to a street with both restaurants, one next to the

other (see the picture of below), from where I could see what happened in both

restaurants at the same time.

1. McDonald’s: 76 Queensway, Bayswater, London, W2 4QH



Alonso

25

2. Burger King: 70-72 Queensway, Bayswater, London, W2 3RL

I was in the middle of both restaurants for 30 minutes, on 6th November at 19:00pm,

observing and taking notes about everything. The objectives of my observation

research are to know:

- Differences in the traffic of both restaurants

- Differences in the storefronts

- Differences in the stuff

- Differences in the age of the people that enter in both restaurants

- More differences that attracted my attention

C) LIMITATIONS:

The research task becomes more complicated if the researcher seeks to photograph

the in-store display using a camera. For this, permission would be required from the

manager and it cannot be assumed it will always be granted.

Because of that, I haven’t recorded it; I have only been in the street with a notepad,

taking notes about customer attitudes, behaviours, storefront…etc.



Alonso

26

7. D A T A C O L L E C T I O N

A) QUALITATIVE COLLECTION :

It is defined as the research which is undertaken using an unstructured approach with a small

number of carefully selected individuals to produce non quantifiable insights into behavior,

motivation and attitudes.

There are three types of uses of qualitative research; exploratory research, new product

development research and creative development research. In my case, it is an exploratory

research, because it is used when an organization wishes to increase its understanding of

customer attitudes, emotions, preferences and behavior.

My qualitative research is the group discussion; more known as focus groups or group depth

interview, undertaken with a group of respondents involving interaction between the

participants.

Finally, the projective techniques that I have used in my focus groups are projective

questioning and sentence completion.

B) QUANTITATIVE COLLECTION:

Quantitative research is defined as a research which is undertaken using a structured research

approach with a sample of population to produce quantifiable insights into behaviour,

motivation and attitudes. There are a lot of survey methods:

WHY NOT?

- Face-to-face interviewing

I haven’t used face-to-face interviews because it is costly and time consuming research.

Moreover, this type of survey is more difficult to organize and it is expensive to bring the

interviewers together. This type of surveys is really useful for improving the understanding of

the interviewer and the respondent through non-verbal communication, but I got it with focus

groups.

- Telephone interviewing

I haven’t used telephone interviews because refusal rates are increasing and consumer

concerns in certain countries have led to legislative controls on unsolicited calls for telephone

research. Moreover, I think that for achieving the objectives of my research questionnaires are

better because it takes less time and cost.



Alonso

27

- In home/doorstep/executive/street

I haven’t used this type of interviews because of the non-availability of people at home during

the day or in the street. Moreover, they are expensive, because the process of interviewing is

more complex and in the case of the street surveys, the shoppers avoid interviewers as they

are in a hurry or are preoccupied with their shopping activities. Also, interviewing in the open

air can adversely affect the quality of data obtained.

- Postal surveys

I haven’t used postal surveys because it is more difficult and it takes more time to get the

responses, you can’t be sure that the respondents are going to answer and a lot of people

refuse to answer because it takes time. Also, it is more expensive than e-mail surveys.

- Hand delivery surveys and fax surveys

Hand delivery surveys are useful only when the audience is captive, and fax surveys are

effective only when potential respondents are prewarned by telephone or e-mail and their

agreement is sought prior to sending.

WHY YES?

I have decided to use on-line surveys and focus groups because I think that they are a perfect

mix to get the information that I need to achieve my objectives.

- E-mail surveys:

On-line Surveys are delivered electronically. The questionnaire simply appears in the text with

tick boxes and space for response. The respondent scrolls down the e-mail entering text or

checking boxes and then sends the questionnaire back to the researcher by using the “reply”

facility.

Email surveys offer a higher rate of prevalence, as compared to other survey techniques.

Survey incidence is measured on the basis of how many people actually respond to a survey.

You can expect a number of people to become a part of it, if you organize free email surveys.

People also prefer email based surveys because they can complete them on their own time.

Unlike phone based surveys, your subscribers will not have to finish the questions in a specific

time limit. With email based surveys, companies have the option using their own parent

websites for generating contacts. Companies, these days, offer visitors to their sites the option

to receive notifications and alerts through emails. Email based surveys are a very subtle yet a

very effective tool to promote your product.

I have used it because I can get a lot of responses quickly and it is not expensive. I have sent

23 e-mails and I have obtained 20 responses, so it is really effective. I have selected both old

and younger people and both males and females.



Alonso

28

C) OBSERVATION RESEARCH

With this type of research, I wanted to answer the following questions:

- Differences in the traffic of both restaurants

McDonald’s: 30 people went into the restaurant in 30 minutes

Burger King: 20 people went into the restaurant in 30 minutes

- Differences in the storefronts

1. The door

McDonald’s: the door wasn’t automatic

Burger King: the door was automatic

2. The menu

McDonald’s: there was a menu on the storefront

Burger King: there wasn’t a menu on the storefront

3. The Schedule

McDonald’s: you can’t see the schedule of the restaurant from the street

Burger King: you can see the schedule of the restaurant from the street

4. The People

McDonald’s: there were more people inside the restaurant

Burger King; there were less people inside the restaurant

- Differences in the stuff

McDonald’s: four people serving and no one cleaning

Burger King; two people serving and one cleaning

- Differences in the age of the people that enter in both restaurants

McDonald’s: there were more families, more children, more old people and more

groups of friends than in Burger King.

Burger King: everybody was 20-40 years old.



Alonso

29

- More differences that attracted my attention:

Usually, people went into the first restaurant that they see, it depends on the side

where they are walking. Also, I could see a child walking in the street and pointing

McDonald’s when he was in front of the restaurant, but he didn’t do the same with

Burger King. Moreover, I could see the same number of people taking fast food for

eating outside, only one person in each restaurant. Finally, I could see only one person

taking a coffee, in McDonald’s.

In my observation research I have also watched the webpage of both restaurants, and

also twitter and Facebook in order to get more information about the difference

between them and here is the data that I got:

Facebook followers:

McDonalds 25.553.276 people like this page / 472.801 people are talking about that /

3.065.511 people have been here

Burger King A 5.815.196 people like this page / 64.316 people are talking about that / 7.139

people have been here

Twitter followers:

McDonalds 792.023 Followers

Burger King 72. 477 followers

Conclusion: As we can conclude with the data, McDonald’s is more popular than

Burger King. McDonald’s is focused more in children and families. Moreover, when a

group of friends want to go to a fast food restaurant for having a good time, they used

to choose McDonald’s. Burger King is destined more for individuals that want to eat

fast because they don’t have time or they are in a hurry.

D) EYE TRACKING:

I have analysed also the eye tracking of the web page of both restaurants. Eye Tracking is an

adaptable research tool that is used to monitor the human eye to track exactly what is being

looked at and for how long. This has helped me to draw conclusions and recommendations

that can ultimately effect the way in which products/services are marketed.

The applications of this tool are shopping and TV/Media. It helps to improve the website, to

know which products are the most popular ones…etc. Using Secondary Data, I have obtained



Alonso

30

some information on internet about the Eye Tracking of their web pages, that help me to

complete my conclusions.

- McDonalds:

As we can see in the last picture, people look more at the burger than at the nuggets. Also

people use to not read the long and small texts, and only the big letters than in the first

picture. It can help the web designers to improve the website, but also it is an indicative about

the preferences of the people, that probably they prefer burgers than nuggets.

- Burger King:

As we can see, in the first picture, people look more at the middle of the website, and in the

second one, people look at burgers. It seems that if there are two colors together, dark and

light colors, people tend to look to the dark color, as we can see in both pictures. It can help

web designers to improve the website, don’t use this type of color contrast, and also it could

mean that people prefer the steakhouse than the Combo, or, at least, it attracts more their

attention



Alonso

31

Differentiated?

Which

products do

you prefer?

Which type of

restaurant do

you think is

most

comfortable?

Which stuff do

you think is

more friendly

and polite?

Which

Marketing do

you think is

more original?

Which Marketing

do you think is

more aggressive

with their

competitors?

Which

Packaging do

you

prefer?Why?

You will go

to the

nearest

one?

1 YESCHIPS AND

BURGERSTHE SAME

COLOURS

NO

2 YESCHIPS AND

NUGGETSTHE SAME

COMFORT

YES

3 YESBURGERS

AND CHIPSTHE SAME

COLOURS

YES

4 YESBURGERS

AND CHIPSTHE SAME

COMFORT

YES

5 YES CHIPS THE SAME

MARKETING

NO

8. D A T A A N A L Y S I S :

Towards the end of a market research project, the fieldwork is completed and the data must

be analysed.

A) ANALYSIS OF QUALITATIVE DATA:

It involves two main components; organization of the data, and interpretation of the data.

- Organization of the data: I have used to do it the tabular method, where the large sheet of a

paper is divided into boxes similar to Excel Spreadsheets, with 2 or 3 important respondent

characteristics being put in the column headings. In the row headings the important issues

relating to research objectives are discussed.

- First focus group:

Do you like

fast

food?Why?

Describe with

a sentence

fast food

How often do

yoy eat fast

food?

In which of the

following situations

do you usually eat

fast food?

Which fast

food

restaurant do

you prefer?

From 1 to 5,

How much

do you

think they

are

healthy?

From 1 to 5,

How much

do you think

they are

tasty?

Which one do

you think is

the best one

regarding to

price-quality?

Do you think

you can

differentiate

the flavor of

their burgers?

1 YESTASTY, CHEAP

AND FAST

IN THE WEEK-

END

WHEN I HAVE TO

WORK, TRAVELING

AND WHEN I AM IN

A HURRY

1 4 YES

2NOT SO

MUCH

CHEAP AND

FAST

IN THE WEEK-

ENDTRAVELING 1 3 YES

3 YES

UNHEALTHY,

TASTY AND

CHEAP

IN THE WEEK-

END

WHEN I HAVE TO

WORK, TRAVELING

AND GOING OUT

WITH SOME

FRIENDS

1 4 YES

4 YES FASTOCCASIONALL

Y

WHEN I HAVE TO

WORK, TRAVELING,

WHEN I AM IN A

HURRY

1 4 YES

5 YESFAST, CHEAP

AND EASY

OCCASIONALL

Y

TRAVELING AND

WHEN I DON'T

WANT TO SPEND

SO MUCH MONEY

1 3 YES



Alonso

32

Do you like

fast

food?Why?

Describe with

a sentence

fast food

How often do

yoy eat fast

food?

In which of the

following situations

do you usually eat

fast food?

Which fast

food

restaurant do

you prefer?

From 1 to 5,

How much

do you

think they

are

healthy?

From 1 to 5,

How much

do you think

they are

tasty?

Which one do

you think is

the best one

regarding to

price-quality?

Do you think

you can

differentiate

the flavor of

their burgers?

1 YESTASTY, CHEAP

AND FAST

IN THE WEEK-

END

WHEN I HAVE TO

WORK AND

TRAVELING

2 4 YES

2 NOCHEAP AND

FAST

IN THE WEEK-

END

TRAVELING AND

WHEN I DON'T

WANT TO SPEND

SO MUCH MONEY

2 4 PERHAPS

3 NOUNHEALTHY

BUT TASTYOCCASIONALLY

TRAVELING AND

GOING OUT WITH

SOME FRIENDS

1 4 YES

4 YES CHEAP IN THE WEEK-

END

WHEN I AM IN A

HURRY3 4 I DON'T KNOW

5 YESFAST, CHEAP

AND EASYUSUALLY TRAVELING 2 3 YES

- Second focus groups:

In qualitative research, the samples are smaller and the data is more subtle and complex. The

analysis of qualitative research depends on the flair and particularly the interpretation placed

on the data by the practitioners involved.

- Interpretation of the data; It involves determining what the data says with regards to the

research objectives.

Differentiated?

Which

products do

you prefer?

Which type of

restaurant do

you think is

most

comfortable?

Which stuff do

you think is

more friendly

and polite?

Which

Marketing do

you think is

more original?

Which Marketing

do you think is

more aggressive

with their

competitors?

Which

Packaging do

you

prefer?Why?

You will go

to the

nearest one?

1 YES

BURGERS

AND

NUGGETS

THE SAME

MARKETING

NO

2 NOCHIPS AND

NUGGETSBURGER KING

COLOURS

NO

3 NO

NUGGETS

AND

BURGERS

THE SAME

COLOURS

YES

4 YES BURGERS BURGER KING

COMFORT

NO

5 NOCHIPS AND

BURGERSTHE SAME

COLOURS

NO



Alonso

33

I am going to interpret the data regarding to the objectives of the beginning:

- Firstly, I would like to discover the reasons because of what people usually eat in fast food

restaurants and what people think about this type of restaurants :

As we can see in the tables, the main reasons because of what people use to eat in fast food

restaurants are the price, the taste and the time, because fast food is cheap, tasty and you can

get it quickly.

People like fast food restaurants (7/10 said yes 2/10 said no and 1/10 said not so much)

although most of them think that is unhealthy (in the first focus group everybody rated it with

the lowest mark, and in the second one, nobody rated it more than 3).

Fast food health

6/10 1 3/10 2 1/10 3 0/10 4 0/10 5

People like fast food?

7/10 YES 2/10 NO 1/10 More

or less

How often do you eat fast

food?

6/10 in the week-end

3/10 Occasionally

1/10 Usually

Fast food taste 0/10 5 7/10 4 3/10 3 0/10 2 0/10 1

Despite being unhealthy, they think it is tasty and they use to eat it in the week-end and not so

much often. Another conclusion is that people use to eat fast food mainly when they are

traveling but also in the other situations.

- The second target is to know which restaurant is the favorite, McDonald’s or Burger King

and prove if they can differentiate the food of both of them:

Favourite restaurant

7/10 3/10

Can people differentiate

them? 7/10 YES 3/10 NO

With these data we can conclude that people prefer McDonald’s than Burger King. Moreover,

they can differentiate between both burgers, because when I gave them the burger slices,

without saying from what restaurant were them, most of the people could identify them, and

the 70 percent of them chose the taste of McDonald’s burgers.



Alonso

34

Also, we can observe that burgers are the most popular product, but also chips and nuggets

are liked. Coffee and Desserts are no so much popular.

- Finally, I would like to conclude if their preferences are led by the marketing or by the taste

and quality of their food.

Price/Quality:

Which one is better in terms

of Price/Quality?

7/10 3/10

Tasty:

Fast food taste 0/10 5 7/10 4 3/10 3 0/10 2 0/10 1

Marketing:

Which Marketing is

more original? 9/10 1/10

Which Packaging do

you prefer 10/10 0/10

We can conclude that almost everybody prefer McDonald’s Marketing, not only in the

advertisements but also in the packaging. Also, people think that fast food is tasty, and when

they tried the slices, they could identify both burgers and they told that they prefer

McDonald’s one.

Marketing aggressiveness

with their competitors

10/10 0/10

People prefer McDonald’s marketing but at the same time, everybody thinks that McDonald’s

is the most aggressive brand with their competitors in terms of the marketing campaigns.

Because of that, we could think that one of the reasons because of what it has better rankings

than Burger King is because of the power of the marketing. The better the marketing, the

better the rankings.



Alonso

35

Student Gender FrecuencyRestaurant

Preferences

Product

Preferences

Packaging

more

comfortable

Marketing

originality

Marketing

aggressivity

Packaging

preferences

Packaging

preferences

reason

1 FemaleIn the week-

end

Burger and

ChipsColour

2 Female OccasionallyBurger and

Nuggets

Colour and

Marketing

3 Female OccasionallyBurger, Chips

and NuggetsMarketing

4 FemaleWhen I have

to work

Burger, Chips

and NuggetsQuality

5 Female TravelingChips and

NuggetsBoth Colour

6 Male OccasionallyNuggets and

DessertsMarketing

7 Female TravelingChips and

BurgersBoth

it just doesn’t

make

difference

8 Female TravelingBurgers and

ChipsColour

9 Male

In the week-

end and

traveling

Burgers and

ChipsBoth Marketing

10 MaleIn the week-

end

Burgers and

Chips

Colour and

Comfort

11 Female OccasionallyBurgers and

ChipsMarketing

12 Male Occasionally Burgers Both Comfort

13 Female TravelingBurgers and

ChipsBoth

It just doesn’t

make

difference


NuggetsComfort


Desserts

Comfort,

Colors,

Quality and

Marketing

16 FemaleIn the week-

end

Chips and

NuggetsBoth

Comfort and

colour

17 Female

Occasionally

and when I

have to work

Burger and

ChipsColour

18 Female Occasionally Burgers and

NuggetsBoth Colour

19 FemaleOccasionally,

traveling

Burgers and

ChipsColour

20 Male OccasionallyNuggets and

DessertsColour

B) QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS;

- Data analysis of closed questions:

Organization of the data: A closed question is one that requires respondents to choose an

answer that is presented to them in the interview. In my questionnaire I have the following

closed questions and I have obtained the following responses:



Alonso

36

Interpretation of the data:

The mechanics of carrying out complex statistical operations has been made so much easier

through widely available and user-friendlier software such as SPSS. I have used SPSS in order to

interpret the data of the close questions, scalar questions and numerical questions.

Navigation and Entering Data in SPSS: Variables:

Age: Gender: Frequency: Restaurant Preferences :

<20= 1 Male=1 1=A.Occasionally 1=McDonald’s

20-30=2 Female=2 2=B.Everyday 2=Burger King

30-40=3 3=C.In the week-end

>40=4 4=D.When I have to work

5=E.Traveling

Preferences Reason: Health BK/McDO: Product Preferences;

1=A.Quality/Health 1=No Healthy 1=A.Burgers

2=B.Quantity 2=Low Healthy 2=B.Chips

3=C.Flavour 3=More or less Healthy 3=C.Nuggets

4=D.Price 4=High Healthy 4=D.Desserts

5=E.Other 5=Really Healthy 5=E.Coffee

6=F.Flavour and Price

Restaurant Preferences: Marketing Originality Marketing aggressiveness

1=McDonald’s 1=McDonald’s 1=McDonald’s

2=Burger King 2=Burger King 2=Burger King

Packaging: Packaging Reason:

1=McDonald’s 1=A.Comfort 5=E. No Difference

2=Burger King 2=B.Colours 6=F.Everything

3=C.Quality

4=D.Marketing



Alonso

37

Gender

Frequency Percent Valid Percent

Cumulative

Percent

Valid Male 5 25.0 25.0 25.0

Female 15 75.0 75.0 100.0

Total 20 100.0 100.0

Frequency


Cumulative

Percent

Valid A.Occasionally 9 45.0 45.0 45.0

C.In the week-end 4 20.0 20.0 65.0

D.When I have to work 2 10.0 10.0 75.0

E.Traveling 5 25.0 25.0 100.0

Total 20 100.0 100.0

Navigation and Entering Data in SPSS: Data View:

Basic Descriptive Statistics:

STATISTICS:

- Frequency:

I have sent by e-mail 23 questionnaires, and

20 of them have answered. The 75% of the

respondents are females, and the 25% are

males.

As we can see in the

chart, people eat fast

food occasionally,

and also when they

are traveling. People

use to go to a fast

food restaurant also

in the week-end. Only

the 10% of the people use to eat fast food when they have to work.



Alonso

38

Restaurant Preferences


Cumulative

Percent

Valid McDonalds 14 70.0 70.0 70.0

Burger King 6 30.0 30.0 100.0

Total 20 100.0 100.0

Restaurant Preference - Why?


Cumulative

Percent

Valid A.Quality 5 25.0 25.0 25.0

C.Flavour 5 25.0 25.0 50.0

D.Price 3 15.0 15.0 65.0

E.Other 2 10.0 10.0 75.0

Flavour and

Price

5 25.0 25.0 100.0

Total 20 100.0 100.0

Restaurant


Cumulative

Percent


Burger King 9 45.0 45.0 100.0

Total 20 100.0 100.0

Marketing Originality


Cumulative

Percent


Burger King 8 40.0 40.0 100.0

Total 20 100.0 100.0

Marketing Aggressivity


Cumulative

Percent


Burger King 5 25.0 25.0 100.0

Total 20 100.0 100.0

70% of the respondents

prefer McDonald’s, and

only 30% prefer Burger

King.

The reasons of this preference are the quality, the flavour and the price.

Also, in reference with the restaurant structure, people also prefer McDonald’s restaurants, but in this case there is not a big difference.

Regarding with Marketing, people think that both are original, but another time McDonald’s marketing wins the battle with 60% of supporters.

Although people think that McDonald’s marketing is better, it is also ranked like the most aggressive with their competitors.



Alonso

39

Packaging Preferences - Why?


Cumulative

Percent

Valid A.Comfort 3 15.0 15.0 15.0

B.Colours 8 40.0 40.0 55.0

C.Quality 1 5.0 5.0 60.0

D.Marketing 5 25.0 25.0 85.0

No difference 2 10.0 10.0 95.0

Everything 1 5.0 5.0 100.0

Total 20 100.0 100.0

Descriptive Statistics

N Range Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation Variance

Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Std. Error Statistic Statistic

Age 20 3 1 4 2.10 .161 .718 .516

Gender 20 1 1 2 1.75 .099 .444 .197

Frequency 20 4 1 5 2.70 .385 1.720 2.958

Restaurant Preferences 20 1 1 2 1.30 .105 .470 .221

Restaurant Preference -

Why?

20 5 1 6 3.60 .426 1.903 3.621

Healthy McDonalds 20 3 1 4 1.90 .204 .912 .832

Healthy Burger King 20 2 1 3 1.85 .182 .813 .661

Restaurant 20 1 1 2 1.45 .114 .510 .261

Marketing Originality 20 1 1 2 1.40 .112 .503 .253

Marketing Aggressivity 20 1 1 2 1.25 .099 .444 .197

Packaging Preferences 20 2 1 3 1.75 .216 .967 .934

Packaging Preferences -

Why?

20 5 1 6 2.90 .332 1.483 2.200

Valid N (listwise) 20

60% of the respondents prefer McDonald’s packaging, and for the 35% there is no difference between both of them. Only one person has selected Burger King packaging.

People that prefer McDonald’s packaging prefer it because of the colours and marketing. Moreover, 15% of the respondents think that McDonald’s packaging is more comfortable.

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS:

- Data analysis of scalar questions

A common way of presenting the responses from this type of questions is by mean scores.

Each score is a weighted average of the numerical values assigned to the pre-coded responses

and the number of the respondents giving each response.



Alonso

40

Student HealthMcDonald's Product

Ratings

Burger King's

Product Ratings

1McDonald's: 1

Burger King: 1

Burger: 3

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 1

Burger: 4

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 2

2McDonald's: 1

Burger King: 1

Burger: 4

Chips: 2

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 3

Burger: 2

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 2

Coffee: 1

3McDonald's: 2

Burger King: 3

Burger: 4

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 4

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 2

Burger: 2

Chips: 3

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 4

4McDonald's: 3

Burger King: 3

Burger: 5

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 4

Desserts: 2

Coffee: 4

Burger: 3

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 4

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 2

5McDonald's: 4

Burger King: 3

Burger: 3

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 4

Desserts: 4

Coffee: 2

Burger: 2

Chips: 3

Nuggets: 4

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 2

6McDonald's: 3

Burger King: 3

Burger: 2

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 4

Coffee: 2

Burger: 3

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 4

Desserts: 4

Coffee: 2

7McDonald's: 1

Burger King: 1

Burger: 2

Chips: 3

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 1

Burger: 3

Chips: 3

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 1

Coffee: 1

8McDonald's: 1

Burger King: 1

Burger: 4

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 4

Desserts: 4

Coffee: 3

Burger: 5

Chips: 5

Nuggets: 4

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 3

9McDonald's: 3

Burger King: 3

Burger: 4

Chips: 5

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 4

Coffee: 2

Burger: 3

Chips: 3

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 2

Coffee: 2

10McDonald's: 1

Burger King: 1

Burger: 4

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 2

Coffee: 1

Burger: 3

Chips: 3

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 2

Coffee: 1

11McDonald's: 2

Burger King: 2

Burger: 4

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 4

Coffee: 3

Burger: 3

Chips: 5

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 3

12McDonald's: 2

Burger King: 2

Burger: 3

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 4

Burger: 4

Chips: 3

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 4

13McDonald's: 2

Burger King: 2

Burger: 4

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 2

Burger: 4

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 2

14McDonald's: 2

Burger King: 2

Burger: 5

Chips: 3

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 3

Burger: 4

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 4

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 3

15McDonald's: 3

Burger King: 2

Burger: 3

Chips: 2

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 4

Burger: 3

Chips: 3

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 2

Coffee: 3

16McDonald's: 2

Burger King: 2

Burger: 2

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 4

Desserts: 2

Coffee: 4

Burger: 2

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 2

Coffee: 3

17McDonald's: 1

Burger King: 1

Burger: 4

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 2

Coffee: 2

Burger: 2

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 2

Coffee: 1

18McDonald's: 1

Burger King: 1

Burger: 3

Chips: 2

Nuggets: 1

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 1

Burger: 3

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 1

19McDonald's: 2

Burger King: 2

Burger: 4

Chips: 4

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 2

Coffee: 2

Burger: 2

Chips: 3

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 2

Coffee: 2

20McDonald's:1

Burger King: 1

Burger: 3

Chips: 2

Nuggets: 2

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 2

Burger: 3

Chips: 2

Nuggets: 3

Desserts: 3

Coffee: 2

Organization of the data: I have done 3 scalar questions and here below is the data that I have

obtained:



Alonso

41

Healthy McDonalds


Cumulative

Percent

Valid No healthy 8 40.0 40.0 40.0

Low Healthy 7 35.0 35.0 75.0

More or less healthy 4 20.0 20.0 95.0

High healthy 1 5.0 5.0 100.0

Total 20 100.0 100.0

Healthy Burger King


Cumulative

Percent

Valid No Healthy 8 40.0 40.0 40.0

Low Healthy 7 35.0 35.0 75.0

More or less healthy 5 25.0 25.0 100.0

Total 20 100.0 100.0

Student Age

1 20-30

2 20-30

3 20-30

4 <20

5 >40

6 >40

7 20-30

8 20-30

9 20-30

10 20-30

11 20-30

12 20-30

13 20-30

14 20-30

15 20-30

16 20-30

17 20-30

18 <20

19 20-30

20 20-30


As we can see in the chart,

most of the people think that

McDonald’s is not healthy.

Only one respondent thinks

that it is healthy.

The same happens with Burger

King, most of the people think

that it is not healthy. 25% of

the people think that it is more

or less healthy.

- Analysis of numerical responses:

These questions produce responses in the form of numerical values. The individual responses

can be listed, sorted into order, and then classified into intervals.

Organization of the data: I have only used this type of questions in order to know the age

interval of the respondents. I have decided to ask for the age of the respondents with intervals

in order to avoid sensitive questions.



Alonso

42

Age


Cumulative

Percent

Valid <20 2 10.0 10.0 10.0

20-30 16 80.0 80.0 90.0

>40 2 10.0 10.0 100.0

Total 20 100.0 100.0


I have sent 23 e-mails and I have received

20 responses. 80% of the people that

have answered are 20-30 years old, that

is one of my objectives, I wanted to

interview young people. But also, another

10% of the respondents are old and

teenagers.

- Data analysis of open-ended questions:

These are the responses given by respondents, without closed options.

Organization of the data:

Student Reason Two Words Marketing originality: reason Description

1

I want cheap, fast,

convenient, quick, good

food

Efficient and eatingBurger King's marketing is impressive, very

artistic and eye catching

McDonald's: simple

Burger King: laid back

2 I want to eat junk food Cheap and Unhealthy McDonald's because it is more impressive

for the music and the pictures

McDonald's: It is better for the

marketing and packgaging

Burger King: it is better for the

quality of food and for the quantity

3I don't have time or money

to go to the restaurantunhealthy and delicious

McDonald's because their advertisement

campaign is bigger and wider, also their

target market is better

McDonald's: Cleaner

Burger King: More space

4I know that's cheap, quickly

and I like the food.Cheap and Good

Burger king is more original , creative and

shocking . McDonald's used to be for

children or not quite original

McDonald's: My first option if I near

of one

Burger King: If there aren't other

options.

5The price is affordable and

it is easy to find oneEasy and tasty Because it is more familiar and sweet

McDonald's: family meal

Burger King: enjoy with friends

6

It's cheap and you can eat as

much as you want without

problem

fast and affordableMcDonald's, because it's funny, cheerful

and friendly

McDonald's: Traditional

Burger King: Universal

7

There is no other restaurant

around, or I don’t have

enough money for other

kind of food.

Unhealthy and fat

it just calls your attention easily and better

than Burguer King, and trying to make

people think their food is not as unhealthy

as it is thought. And children are the group

of people who enjoy more this kind of food,

so that’s used by Mcdonald´s

McDonald's: better discounts and

offers

Burger King: better food and better

quality-prices

8

I'm traveling and I don’t

have money enough to pay

any other kind of

restaurants or even being in

Madrid if I'm meeting any

friend for lunch and our

time is very short.

Delicious and Unhealthy

I've always thought that McDonalds´

marketing is strongly impressive and they

manage to create the “necessity” of going to

the restaurants especially among the

children. That way they've created several

advertising campaigns focus on this group,

which I think are significantly effective. As

de examples of below, these campaigns are

very visual, and usually they are related to a

song/sountrack very simple and easy to

remember.

McDonald's: Good flavor and prices

but I’ve the impression of eating

food with even less quality

Burger King: Marketing not so good,

but I prefer from far their products,

much better flavour for similar

prices. Usually better restaurants

(comfortable, better

environment...)

9I need to eat something

cheap, tasty and differentCheap and fast

I think Burger King has very original ideas,

and I don’t like fast food brands to use

children in their ads

McDonald's: closer and easier to

find everywhere.

Burger King: nice marketing, but still

missing something

10

I don’t have as much time as

I want to lunch or because

of a special situation when

it´s more important to share

a moment than the place

Instantaneus and friends

I prefer the Burger King’s one. In my

opinion it’s more original and it takes a

bigger commercial target.

I think McDonald’s ad is in this cases for a

potential younger target

McDonald's: Easier and more

attractive

Burger King: May be their products

have more quality but I find it less

palatable from an exclusive

commercial point of view



Alonso

43

11It's cheaper than other

restaurantsCheap and fast

Because the marketing of McDonalds refers

to more people and all kinds of ages

McDonald's: economic and cheap

Burger King: cheap and more

quantity

12

I want cheap food at the

moment. And sometimes

it’s the best way to eat

when I'm visiting another

city and I don’t know where

to do it

Accessible and Cheap

It attract more the attention of the

customers because of the songs and the

colours

McDonald's: in my opinion, the most

powerful fast food restaurant

Burger King: the competitor that has

won in quality

13

They are cheap, I think they

have a good relation

between quality and price.

Also I go there because they

are fast serving you the

food

Cheap and fast

I like both of them, but perhaps I prefer

McDonald's because the pedestrians way

and the hair of the girl are funny, and also I

prefer the clown because the king makes

me scared

McDonald's: I'm loving it

Burger King: It tastes better grilled

14

I would like eating this kind

of food that day or because

I am shopping.

Tasty and caloric

Because it surprised me more and I think

that it can be better for all the audiences.

However, I think that Mc Donald´s is a more

consolidated brand

McDonald's: The publicity and the

brand give it the market shared that

it has

Burger King: The best competitor

15 I like the food and it’s cheap Cheap adn unhealthy More original

McDonald's: the original one

Burger King: I think it is a copy of

McDonald's

16You want cheap, fast and

tasty foodCheap and Fast

I like both of them but regarding to the

pictures I prefer McDonald's and also I don't

remember a lot of ads of Burger King, I think

McDonald's invest more in publicity

McDonald's: nice food quickly made

Burger King: similar to McDonald's

17

I don't have time to cook at

home after comming back

from work

Quick and Cheap

I prefer McDonald's one because it is more

original and it is more common finding it in

the street, tv…etc

McDonald's: the best fast food

restaurant

Burger King: another fast food

restaurant that offer the same than

the rest of them

18

It is cheap and I can enjoy

with friends, I wusually go

when I don't have a lot of

time

Cheap and Fast

Maybe McDonald's but I think that also

Burger King has a good Marketing.

McDonald's give a more sense of familiarity

McDonald's: It is a really successful

fast food and the taste is really good

Burger King: I don't like the chips

and it is more expensive

19 It is cheap, tasty and fast Cheap and convenient

McDonald's promote more the tastyness pff

their products but regarding the pictures I

have to say that I prefer Burger King as it

describes better what they are as a brand

McDonald's: Convenience

Burger King: Quality

20 I am probably short of timeConvenient and

unhealthy

Burger King because I don't like brands that

use children in their ads

McDonald's: Traditional

Burger King: Grills


First of all, when people have to describe fast food they usually use words like cheap and fast,

they go there because they have no time to cook in their homes, or they are short of time. The

word unhealthy appears also a lot of times.

When people have to choose between both marketing, most of them prefer McDonald’s

marketing, above all regarding to the pictures of the questionnaire, they think that they are

more originals, because of the colours or because of the ideas. They think that this type of

marketing attracts more their attention, is more surprised, and funnier.

When people have to describe both restaurant, they used to consider McDonald’s as the

original one, as a really successful fast food restaurant, and Burger King as a McDonald’s copy.

Also, people think that Burger King has better food quality and better relation between

price/quality.



Alonso

44

9. R E P O R T I N G

A) REPORTING QUALITATIVE DATA:

Qualitative Reports need to tell a story, identify a process and make sense of perceptions and

experiences. To achieve this, the researcher has to reconstruct the data through the analysis to

locate the findings in a clear framework.

I have used verbatim comments to communicate it:



Alonso

45

B) REPORTING QUANTITATIVE DATA:

Quantitative data, on the other hand, is numerical in nature. For most type of data, there are

several options available. I have selected the bar chart, that is a commonly used method of

displaying data in quantitative studies and I think that is the easier way to understand the data

and interpret it. Here below there are the frequency charts:



Alonso

46



Alonso

47

10. B I B L I O G R A P H Y :

- City University of London:

1. Notes of the City University of London: Market Research Short Course – Purnima Mehta

- Library of Bayswater:

2. Market Research in Practice: A Guide to the Basics - Paul Hague, Nick Hague and Carol-

Ann Morgan

3. Marketing Research Kit for Dummies - Michael R.Hyman and Jeremy J.Sierra

4. Marketing Research: International Student Version - David A.Aaker and others

- Internet:

5. McDonald’s and Burger King websites

6. http://www.marketresearch.com/

7. http://www.sba.gov/content/do-your-market-research

8. http://managementhelp.org/marketing/market-research.htm

9. Questionnaires websites

10. Other

http://www.marketresearch.com/

http://www.sba.gov/content/do-your-market-research

http://managementhelp.org/marketing/market-research.htm



Alonso

48

11. A P P E N D I X

Appendix 1: Pilot Discussion Guide:

In the final discussion guide I have done an introduction.

1. Do you like fast food? Why?

2. Describe with a sentence fast food.


A) Occasionally

B) Everyday

C) In the week-end

D) Never

4. In which of the following situations do you usually eat fast food?

A) When I have to work

B) Traveling

C) Going out with some friends

D) When I don’t want to spend so much money

E) When I am hurry



A) McDonald’s

B) Burger King


6. From 1 to 5, being 1 the lowest and 5 the highest, how much do you think they are healthy? And

tasty? In the final question guide, I have added more information about the fast food healthy.

7. Which one, McDonald’s or Burger King, do you think is the best one regarding to price-quality?

8. Do you think you can differentiate the flavor of their burgers? (Now I will give them a sample to try

both burgers, but without saying from which restaurant are they) This way I will look if they can

differentiate them. Which one do you prefer? Why?


A) Burgers

B) Chips

C) Nuggets

D) Desserts

E) Coffee




Alonso

49

10. Look these two pictures about both types of restaurant. Which type of restaurant do you think is

most comfortable? Why?


11. Which stuff do you think is more friendly and polite? Do you have any good/bad experience with

them?

12. Regarding to the following advertisements (and also using your own knowledge of their marketing),

which Marketing do you think is more original?

A) McDonald’s

B) Burger King:

12. Which marketing do you think is more aggressive with their competitors? I have added in the final

discussion guide more information about marketing in order to lead the discussion guide and give more

information to the respondents, so they can answer better what they think. Moreover, I have added a

video to do the discussion guide funnier and more interactive and show clearer the objective of this

question.

A) Mc Donald’s B) Burger King



Alonso

50

Differentiated?

Which

products do

you prefer?

Which type of

restaurant do

you think is

most

comfortable?

Which stuff do

you think is

more friendly

and polite?

Which

Marketing do

you think is

more original?

Which Marketing

do you think is

more aggressive

with their

competitors?

Which

Packaging do

you

prefer?Why?

You will go

to the

nearest

one?

1 YESCHIPS AND

BURGERSTHE SAME

COLOURS

NO

2 YESCHIPS AND

NUGGETSTHE SAME

COMFORT

YES

3 YESBURGERS

AND CHIPSTHE SAME

COLOURS

YES

4 YESBURGERS

AND CHIPSTHE SAME

COMFORT

YES


MARKETING

NO

Differentiated?

Which

products do

you prefer?

Which type of

restaurant do

you think is

most

comfortable?

Which stuff do

you think is

more friendly

and polite?

Which

Marketing do

you think is

more original?

Which Marketing

do you think is

more aggressive

with their

competitors?

Which

Packaging do

you

prefer?Why?

You will go

to the

nearest

one?

1 YESCHIPS AND

BURGERSTHE SAME

COLOURS

NO

2 YESCHIPS AND

NUGGETSTHE SAME

COMFORT

YES

3 YESBURGERS

AND CHIPSTHE SAME

COLOURS

YES

4 YESBURGERS

AND CHIPSTHE SAME

COMFORT

YES


MARKETING

NO



Why?

A) Comfort

B) Colors

C) Quality

D) Marketing

10. Describe each restaurant with one word (I have changed it because respondents thought that it

was confusing, so in the final question guide I have asked for describing them with a sentence, not a

word)

McDonald’s: ______________________________________________________________

Burger King:_______________________________________________________________

Pilot discussion guide: Answers



Alonso

51

Appendix 2 – Pilot questionnaire

1. (fill in the blank) When you go to a fast food restaurant, you go

because……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………............................................

(In the final version I have change this question, and I have added a picture with a convertation that you

have to fi l l)

2. Describe fast food with two words: ………………………. …………………………


A) Occasionally

B) Everyday

C) In the week-end

D) When I have to work

E) Traveling


A) McDonald’s

B) Burger King


A) Quality/Health

B) Quantity

C) Flavor

D) Price

5. From 1 to 5, being 1 the lowest and 5 the highest, how much do you think they are healthy?

McDonald’s; …….

Burger King; …….


A) Burgers

B) Chips

C) Nuggets

D) Desserts

E) Coffee

Here I have added also another rated question and I have tried to differentiate between products,

respondents have to rate McDonald’s and Burger King products from 1 to 5.

7. Which type of restaurant do you think is most comfortable?

B) Burger King B) McDonald’s



Alonso

52

8. (Optional questions) Which Marketing do you think is more original? Here I have added more

original pictures.

A) McDonald’s

B) Burger King:

And more aggressive? Here I have added more pictures, and also I have specified that I was asking about

the aggressiveness of each brand with its competitors.

A) McDonald’s B) Burger King



Why?

A) Comfort

B) Colors

C) Quality

D) Marketing

10. Describe each restaurant with one word: (Because it was confused for the respondents, I have

changed it and I have asked for a sentence)

McDonald’s: …………………

Burger King: ………………….



Alonso

53

Student Age Gender Reason Two Words FrecuencyRestaurant

Preferences

Preference:

Why?Health

Product

PreferencesComfort

1 20-30 FemaleYou want cheap, fast and

tasty foodCheap and Fast In the week-end McDonald's Price

McDonald's: 2 Burger

King: 2Chips and Nuggets McDonald's

2 20-30 Female

I don't have time to cook

at home after comming

back from work

Quick and CheapOccasionally and when I have

to workMcDonald's

Flavour and

Price

McDonald's: 1 Burger

King: 1Burger and Chips McDonald's

3 >20 Female

It is cheap and I can enjoy

with friends, I wusually go

when I don't have a lot of

time

Cheap and Fast Occasionally McDonald's FlavourMcDonald's: 1 Burger

King: 1Nuggets and burger McDonald's

4 20-30 Female It is cheap, tasty and fast Cheap and convenient Occasionally, traveling McDonald's PriceMcDonald's: 2 Burger

King: 2Chips and Nuggets Burger King

5 20-30 MaleI am probably short of

time

Convenient and

unhealthyOccasionally McDonald's Price

McDonald's:1 Burger

King: 1 Burger and Nuggets Burger King

Pilot questionnaire: answers:

Student Marketing originality: reason Marketing aggressivityPackaging

preferencesPackaging preferences reason Description

1 I don't understand the question McDonald's Both Comfort and colour

McDonald's: I

need more words

Burger King: I

need more words

2I think that you should write:

regarding with the following picturesBurger King McDonald's Colour

McDonald's: Fast

Burger King:

Cheap

3

Maybe McDonald's but I think that

also Burger King has a good

Marketing. McDonald's give a more

sense of familiarity

Burger King Both Colour

McDonald's: It is

a really successful

fast food and the

taste is really

good

Burger King: I

don't like the

chips and it is

more expensive

4

McDonald's promote more the

tastyness pff their products but

regarding the pictures I have to say

that I prefer Burger King as it

describes better what they are as a

brand

McDonald's McDonald's Colour

McDonald's:

Convenience

Burger King:

Quality

5

I think that McDonald's marketing

attracts more the attention of the

people

Burger King McDonald's Colour

McDonald's:

Traditional

Burger King: Grills

Download - Market Research - Fast Food Restaurants

Top Related