As current economic conditions squeeze consumer wallets, most Americans still aren’t dining out as often as they did pre-pandemic. That dynamic has hit casual dining options particularly hard, though recent quarters have shown many brands in the space staying resilient with TV advertising.
According to iSpot data, the casual dining industry has already seen 10.6 billion household TV ad impressions within the first two months of 2023 (a 52% increase YoY compared to the first two months of 2022). And that’s before March Madness, when those restaurants are hoops HQ where fans watch the games together.
In 2022, March alone accounted for 5.9 billion household TV ad impressions for the industry – a 121% increase over February. Men’s and women’s college basketball action delivered one out of every 10 casual dining TV ad impressions last March, as brands like Buffalo Wild Wings flocked to in-game ads.
But during the first two months of 2023, Red Lobster has been the most-seen casual dining brand. The seafood restaurant has 25 times more household TV ad impressions YoY, and was 20.86% of all casual dining impressions. Applebee’s was No. 2 in the timeframe, with 18.49% of ad impressions. However, the brand also delivered the most-liked ad in the industry, with a likeability score 7% above the norm for “Start Me Up,” featuring the Rolling Stones’ hit song of the same name.
Get a snapshot of how casual dining brands are approaching TV in 2023 to make media and creative investments count in this TV ad measurement infographic:
Glossary:
- Verified Household Ad Impressions: TV ad exposures captured across 52 million smart TVs and set-top boxes which are extrapolated and balanced with census data for an accurate representation of US households.
- Impressions SOV (Share of Voice): The percentage of impressions generated by a brand or ad compared to the total impressions generated by the selected criteria.
- Likeability Score: Measures an ad’s ability to appeal to viewers, based on results from the survey prompt: “I like this ad.”
- Value and Yummy are 2 of the 57 emotional metrics iSpot Creative Assessment measures for every TV and video ad.