SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Summer road trippers scrap their healthy eating habits for fast food and snacking, according to Outcast, a major TV network at the pump, which has announced the findings of its Pulse at the Pump: Road Trip.
Of the road trippers, 61% said they temporarily set aside healthy eating for quick-service restaurants (QSRs), including McDonald's (44%), Wendy's (29%), Burger King (29%) and Taco Bell (24%); this is 33% more likely than the general population.
They are also big fans of Lay's potato chips (36%), Jack Links beef jerky (33%), Hershey's chocolate (25%) and Coca-Cola (30%), as the top brands of their respective categories, and would love nothing more than to share it all with Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lawrence and Jimmy Fallon on their next road trip.
The Outcast viewer is twice as likely as the general population to head out on a road trip, planning to take 3.5 trips this summer with 37% hitting the road for Memorial Day. And they won't be alone, as they are 54% more likely to have three or more people in the car than the general population.
"Outcast drivers are by definition 'road hogs,' racking up 107 billion miles on their vehicles each year, which is 50% more than the general population average," said Outcast co-founder and CRO, Nathan Gill. "They are a perfect barometer for all things relating to road trips, from snacks to vehicles. They're a pretty sophisticated group, but they like to indulge in snacks and fast food--especially when they're on a road trip."
Convenience store habits:
- 60% of Outcast viewers go into the convenience store more than half of the time on summer road trips (65% more likely than the general population).
- 68% of road trippers go into a c-store after fueling up.
- Only half know exactly what they're going to purchase before going into the c-store, while the other half like to see what snack jumps out at them.
Convenience store snack and beverage preferences by category:
- In the Potato Chip/Salty category, Lay's (35%), Doritos (13%) and Pringles (7%) stood out.
- For Candy/Chocolate Hershey (25%), M&Ms (14%) and Reese's (11%) were most popular.
- With Beef Jerky/Meat Snacks, Jack Link's (33%), Slim Jim (15%) and Oberto (6%) were preferred
- Coca-Cola (30%), Pepsi (16%) and Mountain Dew (10%) lead the way in the Soda category.
- Dasani (12%) edged out Poland Springs (10%) and Aquafina (9%) for Water.
- There was a three-way tie (11%) in the Bottled/Ready-to-Drink Beverages category between Gatorade, Snapple and Starbucks.
Santa Monica, Calif.-based Outcast reaches 38 million monthly viewers at more than 21,000 screens nationwide. Pulse at the Pump is series of studies designed by Outcast and administered via third-party firm Equation Research.
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