Social Media Marketing Features and Empirical Studies in the Fast Food Industry Context: A Literature Review and a New Window for Future Promotion

Abstract

The fast food industry is a major player in the global economy. In 2020, the global fast-food market size was $125.05 billion, and it is projected to reach $137.74 billion in 2021 and grow to $1,467.04 billion by 2028. Social media plays a significant role in promoting this industry due to its size. This study aimed to identify the features of social media marketing commonly used to promote products and services and to explore which of these features was tested in empirical studies in the fast-food industry. The study used a qualitative approach, analyzing existing literature. The results revealed that advertising, sales promotion, generated content (firm and user), and e-word of mouth are commonly used in social media marketing. However, only two of these features have been tested more extensively in the latest empirical studies of the fast-food industry. These were advertising and sales promotion. Thus, this study suggests that more empirical studies should be conducted to understand the effect of all social media marketing features on customer intention within the fast-food industry. It potentially opens new windows for industry promotion.