It could easily be said that branding and logos are the new icons of the modern age. The golden arches of McDonald’s have been reported to be bigger and more recognisable than the Christian cross. These new monoliths have built a brand identity that stretches around all corners of the globe.
Strong branding is a major factor in success for any company, particularly in the food industry. When you‘re a fast food chain restaurant, you have plenty of competition and they have plenty of resources in their arsenal to tap into your market. Having a strong brand is integral for instilling your restaurants in the minds of your potential customers to keep them coming back.
Part of that brand identity is your logo. A logo that’s instantly recognisable becomes a popular cultural icon and a self-sufficient beast of its own. Just look at the Moschino AW14 collection which played on the golden arches of McDonald’s in their clothes. When a logo becomes that iconic, it even becomes a muse of fashion houses.
Playing on the idea of these instantly recognisable brand logos, and collaboration, CDA Appliances decided to see what would happen if some famous food brands decided to collab with each other and see how competing brands’ looked like when they’re mashed up together.
McDonald’s vs Burger King
Perhaps two of the biggest heavyweights in the fast food space, especially when it comes to slinging burgers. Burger King offered an olive branch of collaboration in 2015 when they proposed the ‘McWhopper’ to raise awareness of World Peace Day.
With joint uniforms and a joint pop-up store proposed in Atlanta, it would’ve been a marketing stunt for the ages. However, Burger King made their proposal in public, giving McDonald’s no prior warning or information and McDonald’s sadly declined.
Cadbury vs Hershey’s
These two chocolatiers have an interesting relationship. There is one undisputed fact in the world, and that is British chocolate (read: Cadbury) is far superior to American chocolate (read: Hershey’s).
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Hershey’s, interestingly, own the rights to manufacture and distribute Cadbury chocolate throughout the US. But instead of importing Cadbury that was made in the UK, they made their own ‘Cadbury’ chocolates that used a different recipe and processing methods.
British immigrants in the US were dismayed, as the British method resulted in objectively better chocolate – even Americans agree! – and there has been a battle to reserve the right to import Cadbury chocolate made in the UK to no avail. Americans have been left with the Hershey-made ‘Cadbury’ chocolates ever since.
Baskin Robbins vs Dairy Queen
These two purveyors of gorgeous ice cream have had a fairly cordial relationship. There’s been no memorable swipes between the two and they were both founded in the same decade and have gone on to enjoy similar levels of success.
They are currently in direct competition with each other to earn themselves the biggest slice of the China ice cream market. Dairy Queen are way out in the lead on that one but Baskin Robbins are moving fast.
Starbucks vs Tim Hortons
It’s a North American showdown as Starbucks, the pre-eminent coffee chain of the USA, if not the world is combined with Canada’s humble Tim Hortons. Tim Horton market themselves as a no-nonsense coffee chain.
There’s no ‘venti, grande, trenta’ rubbish, just your communicable small to extra large. This approach has definite appeal to some people, but Starbucks popularity remains pretty untouched. Starbucks is seen as the place to go if you want to sit in, but Tim Hortons makes a cheap and cheerful takeaway coffee.
Hockey sticks have been added to the Tim Hortons mermaid as a nod to the Canadian game, whilst Starbucks with no mermaid just looks a bit odd.
Domino’s vs Pizza Hut
These two pizza foes have had quite an interesting rivalry. Domino’s adapted to the online market much, much quicker than Pizza Hut did and the balance of power has seen a definite shift from Pizza Hut to Domino’s. This can be seen by Pizza Hut going through another logo change, with a nod to an older, retro logo that lasted from 1967 to 1999.
Domino’s have had their current logo since 2012, last changed in 1996, whilst Pizza Hut have had seven logo changes this millenium.
Chick-Fil-A Vs KFC
These two chicken restaurants make up the 9th and 10th biggest fast food brands in the US. Chick-fil-a being in 9th. In the chicken store wars, Chick-fil-a’s world-famous customer service is often cited as a reason for being the preferred option. They also have strong religious affiliations which is probably another reason for their success – none of their restaurants open on Sundays, for example.
But their religious position has landed them in hot water at times, but they’ve shrugged off controversy to remain the USA’s favourite chicken restaurant.
KFC are now playing catch up in the US for the first time in a long time. As these two restaurant chains attempt to outdo each other in experience, community support, food and customer service, that can only be good, right?
Krispy Kreme vs Dunkin Donuts
These two brands are very much separated in the fast food restaurant stakes in the US. Krispy Kreme come in at 40th with Dunkin Donuts at 7th. Krispy Kreme was actually founded in 1937 whilst Dunkin Donuts was founded in 1950.
In that time however, Dunkin Donuts have seen more success having been acquired by larger brands being part of a wider Dunkin’ brands family. Krispy Kreme have been outdone on home soil but have a wider customer base around the world, having been able to expand into many more countries than Dunkin Donuts have.
Subway vs Jimmy Johns
Subway comes second to McDonald’s in the US fast food restaurant chain leaderboard, with Jimmy Johns down in 25th. Subway is the largest restaurant operator in the world however, with over 42,000 locations in 112 countries whilst Jimmy John’s have just 2,800 locations.
Subway continues to grow and change their menu, to keep the pace up and stay relevant. Jimmy John’s seems to be more content with the foothold it has in the market and enjoys an edge over Subway in that they offer a more comprehensive home delivery system.
Coca-Cola Vs Pepsi
The rivalry between these two brands has been well documented and there’s even a chapter in history known as the ‘cola wars’ which refers to these two brands long standing rivalry.
Coke were founded first and were well established by the time Pepsi was founded and when you compare their two signature beverages, Coca-Cola has always been the winner. This is seen by Pepsi’s unofficial slogan, which is, “We don’t have Coke. Is Pepsi okay?”
Over the years they have become food and drink behemoths and they both now own a litany of brands from other soft drinks to snacks and more. In recent years, PepsiCo have been outperforming Coca-Cola, but most will likely say that Coke still remains the superior cola.
