Why Data, Speed, and Measurement are Defining the Future of QSR Advertising

The next wave of QSR growth won’t come from bigger budgets or flashier ads. In my opinion, it will come from how quickly marketers can measure what works and shift media dollars while consumers are still deciding, not after the moment has passed.

That speed matters because QSR consumers decide fast. Research from The Trade Desk Intelligence and YouGov shows that roughly 88 percent of dining decisions happen the same day, shaped by context like time, price, convenience, and proximity. When the window to influence is that short, measurement needs to do more than report results. It has to guide decisions in real time.

At the same time, the category is under real pressure, making it tempting to play it safe with media dollars and stick to familiar channels. Some consumers are pulling back eating out amid growing financial pressures, food costs are rising, and eating at home is more common. People still eat out, but they are far more selective. That means every visit has to be earned, and every experience must deliver value, making it more critical than ever to put media dollars in the right places to avoid constraining future growth.

The Attribution Problem

The Attribution Problem Hiding in Plain Sight

That defensive mindset is reinforced by how performance is most often measured. The channel closest to the sale often gets the credit and the media dollars, even if it did not result in the decision. In a category like this one where most choices happen the same day, the path to a visit may be short, but it is rarely one step.

But, one of the most common mistakes is optimizing for customers who already chose the brand and here is why.

A consumer might see an ad in the morning, check a deal at lunch, and visit by dinner. If we only reward the last touch, we end up funneling budget toward the channels that show up at the end, not the ones that created intent in the first place. Over time, that misallocation keeps media dollars focused on capturing demand rather than generating new visits.

Getting credit is not the same as creating real growth.

Measurement Is Better

Measurement Is Better Than Ever

This leads to my next point on the measurement gap. Many brands still rely on rearview signals that reward the final touch instead of identifying which media dollars changed behavior. Growing brands look ahead and ask which dollars bring in consumers who wouldn’t have come otherwise.

That’s now possible through modern measurement, from incrementality testing to MMM‑informed planning to real transaction data from sales. It helps teams spot the journey toward the visits, shift money while there’s still time, and focus on winning consumers who haven’t chosen them yet.

Waiting for the perfect system is the real risk.

First Party Data

What First-Party Data Makes Possible

First‑party data is what makes measurement actionable yet is one of the most underused assets in the category. It can be collected through loyalty programs, apps, and other digital touchpoints.

You don’t need huge datasets or complex models. Even simple steps like distinguishing frequent visitors from occasional ones make a meaningful difference. A frequent visitor and an occasional one should not receive the same message, the same offer, or the same level of media investment.

In a perfect world, the right offer goes to the right person, loyal customers don’t get over-targeted, and advertising dollars focus on winning new visits.

Building Media Plans

Building Media Plans Around Tomorrow’s Customer

Once brands can pinpoint what moment helped shape incremental visits, planning must change too.

Committing millions during the traditional upfront process protects supply but eliminates the ability to respond to real demand. A data-driven upfront can change the equation by giving brands the flexibility to measure outcomes as campaigns run, identify partners that underperform, and shift dollars toward opportunities that meet the consumer where they are. A data-driven upfront can also combine the certainty of upfront commitments with greater control for brands.

The brands gaining ground share one habit. They build plans that learn. They define clear goals, run regular check-ins, and adjust before the period ends. Automation and AI can help manage that complexity at scale, but they do not replace the strategic decisions at the core.

No industry is better built for this shift than QSR. Speed matters and consumers can switch in an instant, so media decisions must move just as quickly. Brands that treat data as a compass, flexibility as a strength, and incremental visits as the true measure of success can define value in the next era of QSR.

Craig Spirelli is Vice President of Business Development at The Trade Desk, leading the QSR category. He oversees partnerships with restaurant brands, agencies, and data partners to help drive customer acquisition, increase visit frequency, and incremental transactions across the open internet. He brings more than 20 years of experience spanning linear TV and programmatic advertising, helping QSR marketers balance brand and performance amid changing viewing and buying behavior.