The global chain McDonald's is the most valuable fast food brand in the world according to the BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2019 ranking, announced by WPP and Kantar at the New York Stock Exchange.
Its success comes from the digitalization of the buying process
Many McDonald's restaurants now offer customers the option to order at the counter, at a kiosk or via an app, as well as a choice between picking up the order at the drive-thru window or having it delivered to the table. The constant focus on improving customer service led McDonald's to also acquire an artificial intelligence startup.
Domino's Pizza (fast food brand No. 5, valued at USD 9.6 billion) and Chipotle (No. 9, valued at USD 6.2 billion) have also digitalized their customer experience through artificial intelligence. Domino's Pizza rewards with loyalty points those customers who send photos of pizza from their smartphones. It also plans to enable customers to order pizza directly from internet-connected cars.
Chipotle allows customers to order in advance (online or via mobile phone), and the ordered dishes await them at a designated drive-thru point ("Chipolane").
Many brands benefited from the growth of the Chinese market.
For example Starbucks (brand No. 2 in the fast food segment, valued at USD 45.9 billion), KFC (No. 3, valued at USD 17.2 billion), Pizza Hut (No. 6, valued at USD 7.6 billion) and Taco Bell (No. 10, valued at USD 6.2 billion) are expanding their locations and increasing revenue in the Chinese market. Growth is supported by menu personalization, combining Western and Chinese products, and expanding delivery options (e.g., Starbucks' partnership with Alibaba).
Healthy food and more planet-friendly packaging are also reasons why fast food brands are growing by 13% to USD 261.1 billion.
Graham Staplehurst noted: "Fast food retailers have responded to customer needs – the search for healthier food and new ways to buy, offering for example a choice between home delivery or eating meals out. Recognizing growth opportunities in China, brands are also investing in adapting their offerings to the needs of that market, thanks to which they are achieving excellent results."
BrandZ is the only brand ranking in which valuation is based on combining an analysis of companies' financial results with the opinions of millions of consumers surveyed in over 50 markets around the world.
For the fourteenth time, at the request of WPP, experts from Kantar specializing in brand value carried out the valuation that forms the basis of the BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking.
The ranking combines rigorously analyzed market data from Bloomberg with extensive information from over 3.7 million consumers worldwide, covering more than 166,000 different brands in over 50 markets.
