Applebee's Grill + Bar recently announced that it has entered into a multi-year partnership agreement with the National Football League (NFL). This positions the restaurant chain at the forefront of NFL fans' minds, making it important to evaluate how Applebee's performs within this specific demographic.
Using data from YouGov BrandIndex, we delve into Applebee's performance in the purchase funnel compared to other key players among NFL fans – Buffalo Wild Wings, Chili’s, Hooters, TGI Fridays, and Wingstop.
Stage 1: Awareness
At the top of the purchase funnel is Awareness, which measures whether consumers have ever heard of a brand. Five of six restaurants have high rates of Awareness among NFL fans, but Applebee's leads at 92%, followed closely by Chili’s at 89%.
Stage 2: Consideration
When it comes to the restaurants that NFL fans would consider dining at, Applebee's leads the pack once again with a score of 31.6, translating into a 34% conversion from Awareness to Consideration. Chili’s 28% conversion rate also shows effectiveness in retaining fan interest compared to TGI Fridays (17%) and Hooters (10%).
Stage 3: Purchase Intent
The Purchase Intent stage shows the brands consumers are most likely to dine at. Applebee's demonstrates a strong connection with NFL fans, with a 9.5 score converting to a 30% conversion rate from Consideration—the highest among the six brands. Buffalo Wild Wings and Chili's also show commendable scores with conversion rates of 24% and 25% respectively. Notably, Wingstop, despite its lower Awareness (57%), achieves a high 27% conversion rate in the Purchase Intent stage, indicating a potentially strong niche appeal among those who consider the brand.
Overall brand health among NFL fans
Having explored how different dining brands move through the purchase funnel among NFL fans, we can now take a closer look at the broader aspects of brand health. This analysis draws upon six key metrics from the YouGov BrandIndex, providing insights into the strengths and areas for improvement for each brand in the competitive dining sector.
The data shared in this analysis is a snapshot of a specific period in time. Sports bars and brands interested in attracting NFL fans for gamedays and beyond will want to benchmark and regularly measure the impacts of their marketing throughout the season. Get in touch to understand how your brand is doing with key audiences.
Make smarter business decisions with better intelligence. Understand exactly what your audience is thinking by leveraging our panel of 26 million+ members.
Cover photo credit: NFL.com