Last month’s Super Bowl drew the attention of many top restaurant chains, as brands looked to take advantage of the millions of viewers tuning in to the telecast around the world.
While some brands, like Burger King, ran ads during the big game, other chains notably opted to air commercials during pregame shows to avoid the $5.25 million price tag CBS charged per 30-second commercial. This included Pizza Hut — the National Football League’s official sponsor— which continued to roll out its Abe Lincoln campaign featuring a revamped $5 lineup.
Meanwhile, award shows like the Grammy’s and the Oscars received their fair share of attention too, with the likes McDonald’s and Domino’s paying networks for primetime slots. Advertising during popular sitcoms and adult-oriented cartoons additionally remained a constant for brands in February.
Inside the Numbers
McDonald’s led all companies in advertising dollars spent at $48 million, less than what the chain allocated in January. Taco Bell (second on the list) cut its TV advertising funding by nearly half, likely due to Grubhub picking up most of the tab for its joint commercial with the chain touting limited time free delivery. Grubhub reportedly spent just under $7 million in ad dollars in February.
The biggest surprise of the month was Arby’s, which catapulted up 26 spots from January to crack the top 10 in advertising dollars spent. The quick service restaurant has completed a large sales turnaround in recent years by relying more on promotions and new deli meats to entice customers, according to Forbes. The chain’s success also led its parent company to acquire both Buffalo Wild Wings and Sonic in 2018.
Overall, quick service restaurants and pizza chains dominated TV advertising again in February, with Yum Brands’ subsidiaries — Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC — in the top 10 for the fourth consecutive month. Olive Garden and Applebee’s, the casual restaurants that cracked the top 10 in January, ended February at 11 and 14, respectively, after shelling out more than $10 million each.
Top Spending By Brands
| Brand | Airings | Primetime Airings | Estimated Spend | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald’s | 8075 | 1358 | $48,045,095 | Quick Serve |
| Taco Bell | 18978 | 3664 | $37,834,884 | Quick Serve |
| Domino’s | 19734 | 4252 | $31,816,185 | Pizza |
| Burger King | 16129 | 2858 | $30,266,012 | Quick Serve |
| Pizza Hut | 6366 | 1164 | $24,003,927 | Pizza |
| Arby’s | 4986 | 1082 | $18,601,014 | Quick Serve |
| Little Caesars Pizza | 11939 | 2222 | $17,421,320 | Pizza |
| KFC | 8392 | 1437 | $16,673,463 | Quick Serve |
| Wendy’s | 10959 | 1911 | $16,030,562 | Quick Serve |
| Subway | 5980 | 1212 | $12,887,690 | Quick Serve |
Information is provided by TV advertising attention analytics company iSpot.tv.
Most-Run Ads by Brand
Below are the top advertisements run by each brand in the top five of TV ad dollars spent in February 2019, along with a list of the most popular programs and networks chosen by chains for airtime.
1. McDonald’s
Top ad: Fry Show
| Top Networks | Top Shows |
|---|---|
| CBS | The Oscars |
| ABC | Super Bowl Kickoff Show |
| NBC | NBA Basketball |
| ESPN | The 61st Annual Grammy Awards |
| Fox | The Walking Dead |
2. Taco Bell
Top Ad: The Go-Getters
| Top Networks | Top Shows |
|---|---|
| Comedy Central | NBA Basketball |
| FOX | South Park |
| TNT | 2019 NBA All-Sar Game |
| ABC | The Walking Dead |
| ESPN | Ridiculousness |
3. Domino’s
Top Ad: Points for Pies
| Top Networks | Top Shows |
|---|---|
| CBS | Super Bowl Kickoff Show |
| FOX | NHL Hockey |
| TBS | The 61st Annual Grammy Awards |
| ESPN | SportsCenter |
| Univision | Family Guy |
4. Burger King
Top Ad: Andy
| Top Networks | Top Shows |
|---|---|
| CBS | Super Bowl LIII |
| TNT | NBA Basketball |
| ESPN | 2019 NBA All-Star Game |
| TBS | South Park |
| MTV | Family Guy |
5. Pizza Hut
Top Ad: Look at That Crust
| Top Networks | Top Shows |
|---|---|
| CBS | Super Bowl Kickoff Show |
| ABC | The Super Bowl Today |
| FOX | 2019 Daytona 500 |
| Adult Swim | College Basketball |
| ESPN | NBA Basketball |
Information is provided by TV advertising attention analytics company iSpot.tv.
McDonald's decided in 2018 that customers want more meat on breakfast and lunch sandwiches. / McDonalds