McDonald's super-sizes serving of display ads

McDonald’s spent almost three times as much on display advertising online than its closest rival, according to new data from comScore Ad Metrix.

by Helen Leggatt

comscore%20logo.gif McDonald’s was the biggest spender among quick-serve restaurants (QSRs) in the U.S., says a new comScore report. Despite being one of the U.S.’s largest advertisers, ranked 16th in 2006, the burger behemoth only registers at 113th in the latest online advertising rankings.

McDonald’s served up a super-sized portion of online display ads in March – racking up almost 296 million. Quizno’s sub sandwich restaurant ranked second serving 98 million followed by KFC (85 million) and Papa John’s (82 million).

“It’s clear that that the quick-serve restaurant industry has been slower than many other industries to move its advertising dollars online,” said comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni. “But, given the internet’s broad reach and ability to selectively reach consumer segments, its potential as a brand-building advertising medium is beginning to attract more attention.”

The mobile web in particular will see a big uptake by QSRs as local advertising and mobile shopping become more popular, allowing consumers to be targeted in the vicinity of an outlet with timely coupons and offers.