Anne-Marie Stewart

Karen Lozano
Courtney Lawler
Kiley Sullivan
Kristen Stuetzel
TUFFYS ANGELS METHODOLOGY
Background
Phillys Best (PB) wanted to expand its customer base as well as create customer loyalty and
repeat business via social media. They wanted to convey their authentic vibe and genuine
cheesesteak through a public relations campaign. Phillys Best determined that its target
audience for this yearlong campaign was the Millennial generation (ages 21-36). In order to
effectively reach this specific group, research was done to determine the best means of
communication to utilize. This focus group was set up to determine their current feelings and
attitudes towards quick service restaurants and gain knowledge on the best forms of
communication to reach them. The focus group will help identify the most popular social
media outlets, and how they are successful in reaching their audience.

Management Objectives
1. Grow Facebook fan base to 20,000 (an increase of ~ 8,000) by December 2014.
2. Grow presence on social media platforms including Instagram, Twitter, Foursquare,
etc.
3. Take Phillys Best to the next level in terms of social media presence and consumer
perception, especially compared to competing restaurants in the quick service space,
such as Jersey Mikes and Charleys Subs.
Research Objectives
1. Determine and establish social media activity patterns of Millennials
2. Determine the general feelings and perceptions of Phillys Bests social media
3. Evaluate the brands Millennials follow on social media and what motivates them to
choose those brands over others

Methodology
Background:
In order to satisfy the aforementioned objectives, and obtain the most valuable information
possible, a qualitative approach was deemed necessary. One focus group was conducted
with a variety of Millennials from the local area. Participants were asked various questions
about their respective activity on social media outlets, their opinions on PB, and their opinions
on PBs social media activity.

Overview:
Convenient, voluntary sampling was employed whereby researchers contacted local residents
who have frequented PB in the past. In order to target a larger audience than those who
simply frequent PB, researchers also contacted the local higher-learning institutions such as

CSUF, and began speaking to several students about the focus group. The exact number
contacted is estimated to be 15, and 11 agreed to participate.

Procedures:


Materials:
Participants were asked to study various social media platforms for the companies in
question: Phillys Best, Charleys Subs, and Jersey Mikes, including their respective Twitter,
Facebook, and Instagram pages.

Participants:


Michael L., 24, instagram, Flame Broiler
Dave B, 23, instagram, deli
Lindsay, 19, instagram, Chik-fil-a
Michael P., 20, instagram, chipotle
Andy, 21, facebook, chipotle, freebirds!
Zach, 20, facebook, Rubios
Kendall, 21, facebook, Veggie Grill
Kirsten, 20, chipotle
Ryan, 25, twitter, The Habit

Phillys Best Focus Group Script

Hello, thank you for agreeing to participate today. My name is _______________ and we
have asked you to join us today to talk about food and social media. This discussion is
designed as part of a research project for a Communications research methods course at
CSUF. You will notice that we are audio and video recording todays focus group. We are
doing this in order to go back and review what we discussed for our study.

Today we will be discussing a few different topics including quick service restaurants, Phillys
Best and social media. There are no right or wrong answers. Keep in mind that your
participation in this study is entirely voluntary. If you are uncomfortable answering certain
questions, feel free to decline to answer. We are simply interested in learning about your
feelings and attitudes toward fast food and how you learn about it, as well as how you are
exposed to it. This is an open discussion so we encourage everyone to participate. First, I
would like to have everyone introduce themselves. Please state your name, your age, your
preferred social media outlet, and your favorite place to eat.

General Question Outline

1. General quick service questions:

How frequently do you visit quick service locations?
Michael - 4-5x
Lindsay - 2x
Dave - 1x
Michael - 2-3
Andy 3-4
Zach 4-5
Kendall 3-4
Ryan 4-5

What makes you want to eat at a quick service food location?
ML - Convenience
Lindsay - Convenience
Dave - convenience/necessity
Michael - convenience
Andy - convenience
Zach - convenience, change from eating at home
Kendall - convenience, quick service
Kirsten - taste
Ryan - convenience

Which quick service chains do you visit most frequently?

How strong of an influence does the opinion of your peers have on your restaurant
choices?
ML - no influence, location
Lindsay - a lot, indecisive
david - no influence
Kendall - minimal influence, only when shes indecisive, location plays a part

When you think of a quick service sandwich restaurant, what comes to mind?
Lindsay - subway
ML - which wich
Kendall - afraid at how long the meat has been sitting out, tends to avoid them
Zach - Jersey Mikes

What are your thoughts on Phillys Best, Jersey Mikes and Charleys? Do you like
them? How often do you go?
Zach - Likes all of them
Ryan - charleys
Kirsten/ Lindsay - only been to jersey mikes

2. General social media questions:

Which social media platforms do you subscribe to and which ones do you use most?
ML, Kirsten - Twitter, facebook, instagram, vine, snapchat, reddit
Dave - instagram, facebook
Kendall - twitter instagram and facebook, rarely uses snapchat but has it
Michael - insta, snapchat, facebook

Which do you use least?
Zach/ryan/kendall - snapchat
Dave/Michael/ML/ Kirsten - facebook

What is the main reason you use social media?
Ryan - business (to promote product)
andy - bored, kill time, information
Kirsten/Zach/Lindsay- entertainment, keep up with friends
Kendall - boredom

What types of posts catch your eye on social media? (only things your friends post,
ads, retweets, etc.)
Ryan - news
Zach - shared links, pictures catch eye, number of likes and retweets
Michael - vines

Do you ever seek discounts/promotions via social media?
David - absolutely not, no point, too much work, dependent on promotions,
Mcdonalds free coffee
Zach - No intention for social media and purchasing
ML - No, too much work
Kendall - as long as you dont have to put in email or sign up, only if they dont
have to like the page, fear of hacking
Kirsten - Too much time
If there were promotions on different apps and websites like Foursquare, would
you use them? (For example, check in on Foursquare and receive a free
dessert)

3. Brand and social media questions (general):
Do you ever seek fast food information via social media? If so, how often?
General consensus - no
How often do you interact with companies you follow on social media? (ie retweet,
favorite, reply to tweets, tag them in posts, etc)
ML - rarely, tweeting to mention company, usually praise
Zach - like post if it was funny, possibly tag friend if interesting
Kirsten - Tag, or retweet likely


If someone checks in on Foursquare somewhere, are you more inclined to want to go
there as well?
ML explains Foursquare to Dave

Where do you generally seek information regarding fast food companies?
Kirsten, ML - yelp
zach - typically doesnt look up fast food
Kendall - yelp, twitter makes it more candid
Michael - word of mouth,

Would a rewards system prompt you to become a returning customer?
Ryan - No, stamp cards have no purpose
ML - only something that the company has to keep track of, do not leave it to
customer
Kendall - Panera card is incentive, Starbucks has good incentive, following a
company on instagram is incentive to get free stuff
Kirsten - theres no incentive to frequent more, but she would enjoy it if the
company took care of it


4. Brand and social media questions (specific):
When seeking brand or product information, what social media outlet do you find most
helpful?
Which brands do you currently follow on social media?
Ryan - no
Kendall - Red Bull, music venues on facebook, restaurant on instagram,
Zach - sports
Kirsten - instagram follows and unfollows due to overposting
Dave - oakley, lifestyle brands,
ML - follows and unfollows brands due to over-posting
Kendall - etsy, sorority, lifestyle, continue to follow if posts are varied, sales or
promotions to be passed along to others of interest
What about them do you like?
consensus - things they align with, brands they relate to
Do you follow any quick service restaurants on social media? If so, which ones?
What prompts you to follow a company on social media? Where do you first hear
about them?
Lets take a look at Jersey Mikes Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. What are some
things you like about it? What dont you like about it?
FACEBOOK:
Zach - dont understand cover photo, profile picture
Kirsten - likes pictures of food

Kendall - likes logo as profile picture,

Dave - lots of promotions, pictures > words
Michael - coupons advertised and able for download, barcodes

Now, lets look at Phillys Best Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. What do you like
about it? What dont you like about it?
Michael - full sandwich picture enticing
Kendall - cover photo is too much, too many words, not simple enough,
graphics dont match
Ryan - cover photo too busy
Kirsten - profile picture simple, trying too hard to
Zach - cover photo not inviting, not compatible with mobile, its important to
have title in photo
Andy - simplicity is better
TWITTER
Kirsten - not verified, didnt know which one
Ryan - not enough activity,
Zach - inconsistent posting
Andy - not enough pictures
Kendall - trying too hard,
consensus - lack of activity on PB part

Finally, were going to look at Charleys Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. What do
you like about them? What dont you like about them?
FACEBOOK
ML, Kirsten, Ryan - food looks enticing, simple, inviting, funny
Ryan - promotions within the page allow people to scroll and search for
promotions rather than a quick glance at page
Before this focus group, did you follow any of these brands on social media?
Now that you have seen them, would you follow them?
Would promotions offered by Phillys Best prompt you to pay a visit to a Phillys Best
location?

5. Wrap Up
Are there any areas regarding quick service restaurants and social media that we did
not ask about that you think are important to discuss or is there anything you would
like to add?

6. Questions for Moderator
Does anyone have any questions for me about the study?

7. Thank you

Again, thank you all for coming. We really appreciate your participation in our focus group.


WORD OF MOUTH IS BETTER, PICTURES ARE BETTER, SIMPLICITY IS BETTER