American International Journal of Business Management (AIJBM)

ISSN- 2379-106X, www.aijbm.com Volume 3, Issue 12 (December 2020), PP 08-18

Promotional Mix and Industry Practices of Leading Fast–food

Industry in the Philippines: A Case of NE Pacific Mall,
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija
Jennilyn C. Mina1, Romeo B. Campos, Jr.2
12
Faculty Members, College of Management and Business Technology–San Isidro Campus (Tabon Annex),
San Isidro, Nueva Ecija Philippines 3106
*Corresponding Author: Jennilyn C. Mina1

ABSTRACT: The focus of this research is to identify the situation of the fast–food chain industry in N.E
Pacific Mall, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines and to address the leading fast–food industry's current
promotional and industry practices. It also describes the socio–demographic profile of the target market and the
target audience together with their evaluation of the current promotional tools utilized by the industry which
served as a reference point for market researchers to formulate strategic courses of action that can be employed
by the industry to lessen the problems besetting the top and the middle management of the organizations within
the industry. For the research methodology, the market researchers utilized a descriptive type of research to
discuss the current promotional tools used in the industry and also to define the target market and the target
audience using socio–demographic profile such as age, sex, civil status, highest educational attainment, family
net income, and status of employment and at the same time, the company’s profile in terms of forms of
organization, ownership, and number of personnel. The researchers handpicked six (6) managers from the
existing fast–food chain stores in NE Pacific Mall, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines using a structured
questionnaire to define the general promotional practices in the industry. It was found out that the fast–food
chain stores used the same sort of advertisements to promote their products and that direct selling, sales
promotion, advertising, and public relations or publicity were some of their existing promotional practices.
Likewise, it can be inferred that the TV shows and endorsements by well–known celebrities are still the most
appealing advertising practices, and the most widely used contact channels by the fast–food chain stores are
broadcast media, mainly television. Lastly, the researchers proposed a strategic solution to lessen the problems
related to the promotional practices of the said industry.

KEYWORDS–advertisement, fast–food chain, industry practices, promotional practices, strategic solutions

I. INTRODUCTION
The growth of fast–food chains in the Philippines can be attributed to the increasing growth of
population in the country and the changing characteristics of Filipino consumers (Flores, 2014). Filipino people
really love to eat. They also look for healthy food that can satisfy their eating needs, that they are even willing to
travel across the globe. Food bring people together and Filipinos possess a genuine appreciation for family
gathering and this is more enjoyed with food served on their table. Due to this fact, the food service industry in
the Philippines is growing at a phenomenal rate and everyone wants a part of it (Masigan, 2019). Fast–food
culture is a vigorously uprising trend among the youngsters (Kaushik et al., 2011). According to leading
websites, fast–food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly while Habib et al.
(2011) described fast–food as quickly prepared, reasonably priced and readily available alternatives to home
cooked food.
According to Marasigan (2019), there is no stopping in the fast–food growth. The fast–food category is
predicted to post the highest growth rate in the years to come expanding by 12% year on year. Interestingly,
fast–food sales inside convenience stores will grow at a more phenomenal rate of 32%, thanks to their
improving quality and democratic price. Fast–food chains are seen to expand their product offerings to sustain
demand even if it encroaches on other food concepts. For instance, Filipinos would soon see burger chains
offering pizza, chicken chains offering salads, and pizza chains offering rice meals.
This increase can be attributed to the expansion undertaken by fast–food restaurants in terms of branch
network. Thus, this indicates that the market has still room for expansion (Flores, 2014). If this is the case, it is
imperative therefore, for the management of the different fast–food chains to determine what effective
promotional practices can be applied for the upgrade of their programs to sustain their market share (Flores,
2014). Many in the business, however, are not aware of the extent to which advertising or other promotional
strategies can help to achieve the decision on how to fit the product, pricing, place and the promotion strategies
into a marketing program.

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 Promotional Mix and Industry Practices of Leading Fast–food Industry in the Philippines:…

Recognizing this fact, the researchers, who are faculty members of the College of Management and
Business Technology at Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology in San Isidro Campus, San Isidro,
Nueva Ecija, Philippines 3106 have realized the importance of the promotional practices in order for the
business to attract more customers due to the fact that fast–food industry is a booming sector in the Philippines.
This poses a good opportunity to describe the existing promotional practices of the fast–food chains in NE
Pacific Mall, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija and thereby identify what effective promotional practices and new
perspectives can be formulated to upgrade their marketing programs. This study would further identify the
problems besetting the fast–food chains to be able to propose strategic solutions that address problems on such
areas.
By identifying the promotional practices that are anchored on the fundamental measures on internal
and external aspects affecting the operations of the business especially in terms of the promotional mixes such
the tri–media (promotional tools) and promotional tactics of the entire industry, this study hopes to provide
practical results in the field of fast–food industry.

II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aimed to identify the promotional and industry practices of six (6) fast–food chain stores in
NE Pacific Mall, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. Specifically, this study aimed to answer the company’s profile
in terms of its form of organization, ownership, and number of personnel. Simultaneously, it is also designed to
describe the customer’s profile in terms of age, sex, civil status, educational attainment, family net income, and
status of employment. The main objective of the study is to describe the promotional practices implemented by
the fast–food chain stores, to identify the most attractive promotional practices for the customers of the fast–
food chain stores, to identify the promotional problems besetting the managers of the fast–food chain stores, and
to propose a strategic solution to solve the problems besetting the managers.

III. METHODOLOGY
To attain the objectives of this study, the researchers used a descriptive method of research in an
attempt to analyze and interpret the company’s and customers’ profile of the six (6) fast–food chain stores in NE
Pacific Mall, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. Descriptive research can be explained as a statement of affairs as
they are at present with the researchers having no control over the variables. Moreover, according to Ethridge
(2014), descriptive studies may be characterized as simply the attempt to determine, describe or identify what is.
Descriptive research in this study was utilized to describe the profile of the company, and the customers. The
company’s profile in terms of forms of organization, ownership, and number of personnel, and customer’s
profile in terms of age, sex, civil status, educational attainment, family net income and status of employment. It
also includes the promotional practices of the fast–food chain stores as perceived by the managers and
customers and the problems related to promotional practices as perceived by the managers.
The respondents of the study were the six (6) managers of all the existing fast–food chain stores in NE
Pacific Mall, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. For this research study, the influence of different promotional
activities on consumer buying behavior was carried out through a survey to consumers of the six (6) fast–food
chain restaurants. A survey–questionnaire was filled out by 100 respondents in a good environment in order to
avoid any hustle and weak response.
The researchers utilized a researcher–made questionnaire to collect the necessary data. The instrument
is a structured questionnaire and is composed of close ended–ended questions that help to bring about
information regarding the promotional practices of the fast–food chain stores as perceived by the managers and
customers. Structured questionnaire is a document that consists of a set of standardized questions with a fixed
scheme, which specifies the exact wording and order of the questions, for gathering information from
respondents (Marsden and Wright, 2010). This is same with the questionnaire related to promotional problems
besetting the managers of the fast–food chain stores.
The rating scale of the close–ended questionnaire and corresponding verbal description were presented
on table below:
Ranges Rate Promotional Practices Promotional Practices of the Fast–
Promotional Problems besetting the food Chain as perceived by the
Fast–food Chain as perceived by Customers
Managers
4.20–5.00 5 Strongly Agree Extremely Attractive
3.40–4.19 4 Agree Attractive
2.60–3.39 3 Neutral Neutral
1.80–2.59 2 Disagree Unattractive
1.00–1.79 1 Strong Disagree Extremely Unattractive

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 Promotional Mix and Industry Practices of Leading Fast–food Industry in the Philippines:…

Appropriate statistical tools, such as frequency, percentage, rank, weighted mean and average weighted
mean were utilized to compute for the numerical data that were collected in this study.
Data analysis of Microsoft Excel 2007 was employed for computations of the gathered information of
the questionnaire from the respondents.

IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This part provides the presentation of data relevant to the problems stated above. Corresponding
analysis and interpretation regarding some presented data were discussed using some statistical tools which is
also mentioned above.

Table 1. Profile of the Company

Form of Organization Frequency Percentage Rank
Single Proprietorship 0 0.00 2.5
Partnership 0 0.00 2.5
Corporation 6 100.00 1.0
Total 6 100.00
Ownership Frequency Percentage Rank
Filipino owned 2 33.33 2.0
Foreign owned (Franchised) 1 16.67 3.0
Filipino and foreign owned 3 50.00 1.0
Total 100 100.00

The table above shown the profile of the company. It can be seen from the table above that all the fast–
food chains were registered under corporation to which some were franchised. According to Schooley (2020), a
corporation is an organization recognized by the state as a separate legal body from its members, also known as
shareholders. A corporation can be owned by individuals and/or other entities, and ownership is easily
transferable via the buying and selling of stock. Since a corporation is its own legal entity, it can enter litigation
on its own, protecting its owners from personal liability in the event of legal action.
It can also be observed from the table above that 50.00% of the respondent–fast–food chains were
Filipino and foreign owned; 33.33% of them were Filipino owned; and only 16.67% or only one was foreign
owned. It is obvious from the data above that there were corporation in the Philippines that are established under
the partnership of Filipino citizens and foreign ones. As a matter of fact, a couple of international food chains
announced their plans to expand to the country—and Filipinos are happily anticipating the opening of these food
brands (Villaluz, 2018).

Table 2. Number of Personnel in the Branch

Fast–food Chain Number of Personnel
A 40
B 45
C 18
D 30
E 37
F 40

The number of personnel of the different fast–food chains existing in NE Pacific Mall, Cabanatuan
City, Nueva Ecija can be observed from the table above. It can be noted that the second fast–food chain has the
highest number of personnel and this can be correlated to the demand in the store. It only means that this store
has the highest demand that’s why they have to maintain massive number of personnel to cater that demand.
According to Escalona (2018), this homegrown fast–food chain has managed to create a place of comfort for
Filipinos, so its food has become closely associated with milestones and good times with family and friends.
This is also why the company is rapidly expanding in countries abroad where many Filipinos work and live —
because it is able to give Filipinos the familiarity of home they so miss.

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 Promotional Mix and Industry Practices of Leading Fast–food Industry in the Philippines:…

Table 3. Profile of the Customers

Name of the Fast–food Chain Frequency Percentage Rank
A 17 17.00 3.0
B 29 29.00 1.0
C 18 18.00 2.0
D 12 12.00 5.0
E 11 11.00 6.0
F 13 13.00 4.0
Total 100 100.00
Sex Frequency Percentage Rank
Male 39 39.00 2.0
Female 61 61.00 1.0
Total 100 100.00
Civil Status Frequency Percentage Rank
Single 67 67.00 1.0
Married 31 31.00 2.0
Separated 1 1.00 3.5
Widowed 1 1.00 3.5
Total 100 100.00
Educational Attainment Frequency Percentage Rank
Elementary Undergraduate 0 0.00 6.5
Elementary Graduate 3 3.00 5.0
High School Undergraduate 15 15.00 4.0
High School Graduate 21 21.00 3.0
College Undergraduate 34 34.00 1.0
College Graduate 27 27.00 2.0
Unemployed 0 0.00 6.5
Total 100 100.00
Employment Status Frequency Percentage Rank
Student 41 41.00 1.0
Casual 22 22.00 2.0
Contractual 8 8.00 6.0
Temporary 14 14.00 3.0
Permanent 5 5.00 5.0
Own a business 10 10.00 4.0
Total 365 100.00

The table above revealed the profile of the customers of the fast–food chains. It can be noticed that
fast–food B has the highest number of customers with 29.00%. Some of the customers when asked why they
love eating at this fast–food chain mentioned that the fried chicken captures the Philippine palate perfectly:
extremely salty with a slight hint of sweet and sour, and the spicy version provides a palpable kick. It’s also
worth noting that they serve plenty of dishes with a side of rice, as well as more common fast–food fare like
burgers and hot dogs (De Leon, 2016). This fast–food is more than just a Filipino restaurant. It’s a symbol of the
Philippines itself—delightfully cheesy but totally earnest in its beliefs.
It can also be gleaned from the table above that 61.00% of the customers of fast–food chain stores in
NE Pacific Mall, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija were female due to the fact that based on population, female is
more in number than male. According to Total Food Service (2020), female consumers increasingly prefer fast–
food as much as males do. In fact, female favorability of fast–food outgrew fast casual, casual dining, café and
bistro, and drinks and specialties over the same period.

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 Promotional Mix and Industry Practices of Leading Fast–food Industry in the Philippines:…

Also, it can be seen from the data above that 67.00% of the respondent–customers were single which
means that those who were single would always love to go fast–food chain stores to have their breakfast, lunch,
dinner or snacks at fast–food chains instead of going to the market and buy food to prepare. According to
Martell (2014), 70% of surveyed married couples actually like to cook together, and those couples who enjoy
cooking together are significantly more satisfied in all areas of their lives than couples who don’t cook together.
For this reason, more single individuals prefer to eat at the fast–food chain stores.
It can also be noted that 34.00% of the customers were college graduates or those who were already
working to different offices near the location of the NE Pacific Mall, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. The
location of the mall is considered as a business center which means that it is surrounded with commercial banks,
offices, business establishments, schools and even churches that make it accessible even to students and young
professionals. Good location, accessibility also creates the desire to visit and shop at shopping centers (Pitt and
Musa, 2018). The role of the shopping center as a business place is to provide a better place for retailers in terms
of attractiveness of the location for its customers, its catchments of population, accessibility, parking facilities
and the quality of the shopping environment as a whole (The National Retail Planning Forum, 2000).
Likewise, it can be noticed that 41.00% of the respondent–customers were students due to the reason
that Cabanatuan City is a first class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. It is the most
populous city in Nueva Ecija and 5th populous in Central Luzon. The city is a major economic, educational,
medical, entertainment, shopping, and transportation center in Nueva Ecija and nearby provinces in the region
such as Aurora and Bulacan (Edarabia, 2020). As a result, a lot of college students can access the different fast–
food chains located inside the abovementioned mall.

Table 4. Promotional Practices of Fast–food Chain Stores according to the Managers

No. Indicators WM Verbal
Description
1. The fast–food chain incorporates a toy in every set meal for kids 4.67 Strongly Agree
2. The fast–food chain gets celebrity endorsers or a well–known 4.83 Strongly Agree
personalities to create brand consciousness and market loyalty to their
customers
3. The fast–food chain uses TV Program as a form of Advertisement 4.83 Strongly Agree
4. The fast–food chain is engaged in publicity or public relations 4.67 Strongly Agree
5. The fast–food chain is giving out coupons that give the consumers 4.67 Strongly Agree
discounted food items if the consumer purchases two items, free gift
items, raffle draws and a lot more
6. The fast–food chain uses billboards as a means of advertisement 4.67 Strongly Agree
7. The fast–food chain comes up with value/combo meal/price pack that 4.83 Strongly Agree
goes along with attractive ideas by offering some extra amount of food
with a minor difference of amount
8. The fast–food chain introduces new products to its consumers in 4.83 Strongly Agree
different seasons to attract new customers and keep hold of the existing
customers by offering/adding something new in their menu
9. The fast–food chain is creating stories related to their products that are 4.67 Strongly Agree
usually touching the hearts of many consumers and it can be viewed on
social media like youtube and facebook as part of their endorsement
10. The fast–food chain stores utilizes the television as form of broadcast 4.83 Strongly Agree
media in promoting their products
11. The fast–food chain employs magazines and newspapers as a form of 4.00 Agree
print media in promoting their products
12. The fast–food chain uses tarpaulins as means of promoting their 4.83 Strongly Agree
products and services
Average Weighted Mean 4.69 Strongly Agree

The table above displayed the promotional practices of fast–food chain stores as perceived by the
managers. It can be observed that the managers strongly agreed that one of their promotional practices of the
fast–food chain is to get celebrity endorsers or well–known personalities to create strong brand equity and to
build market loyal customers. Several studies have indicated that celebrity endorsers can make a positive effect
on consumers’ buying behavior (Till and Busler, 1998) in which these public figures can serve as a market
influencer to maneuver the perceived value of a certain product or brand in the market.

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 Promotional Mix and Industry Practices of Leading Fast–food Industry in the Philippines:…

The use of celebrities in promotions is traced back to the nineteenth century and these general
promotional practices have revealed a large quantity of intellectual as well as realistic considerations (Randhawa
and Khan, 2014). Celebrity endorsement has become a global multi–million–dollar industry. Such celebrities or
public figures have an immense impact on the fast–food chains' customer purchasing conduct because these
individuals are clout enough to use their appeal to influence the target market and the target audience.
Similarly, the managers strongly agreed that the fast–food chain uses TV Programs as a form of their
advertisement. Advertisement is one of the effective tools of integrated brand promotion (IBP) to emotionally
and psychologically motivate consumers to buy either goods or services. It is considered to have a strong
linkage with entertainment and the proliferation of media has blurred the distinguishing lines between
advertisements and entertainment. Advertisement is based on behavioral psychology insights that trigger a
consumer to purchase a product not because he needs it for a rational reason, but because he wants it for an
emotional reason. Often this approach is more impactful and effective than a knowledge–based awareness–
raising campaign (Newson, et al.) Advertisements featuring products like snacks, toys, cookies, confectionaries,
and fast–food are specifically targeted at children of all ages, to motivate them to try new brands and buy more.
One of the new techniques of marketing in the 20th century has been the introduction and diffusion of
television. Television is the most preferred medium of communication for fast–food retailers because of the
effect on viewers. This medium of the advertisement has allowed major food companies like KFC and MC
Donald to plant influential images and themes within children’s collective consciousness (UK Essays, 2018).
Correspondingly, the managers strongly agreed that the fast–food chain comes up with value/combo
meal/price pack that goes along with attractive ideas by offering some extra amount of food with a minor
difference of amount, hence this marketing tactic can decrease the margin of profit but can create a greater
volume in terms of transaction because of the potential impact of the strategy in the market. Fast–food brands
seem to strike the balance between letting customers feel like they’re getting a deal while still allowing them to
make some choices on their own. In a way, the recent resurgence in fast–food combo meals is the result of an
expansion of the product portfolio and category. Now they’re being sold as a bundle, and when that happens it’s
considered a combo meal (White, 2016). Dishes from the menu combos are the best selling items at the
restaurants and the most often choice of the guests that’s why people are fond of eating in fast–food chain
stores.
Moreover, the managers strongly agreed that the fast–food chain introduces new products to its
consumers in different seasons to attract new customers and keep hold of the existing customers by
offering/adding something new to their menu as one of their promotional practices. The fast–food industry is
one of the industries that relies on its food promotion to increase sales. It uses many strategies for this purpose,
including sales discounts, coupons, new goods, and various offers to attract its customers. According to Maze
(2019), for fast–food chains, pricing and discounts are a balancing act. Quick–service concepts do need some
form of low–priced offers to get customers in the door. It is a fact of life for a sector that has a high percentage
of younger and lower–income consumers.
By the same token, the managers strongly agreed that the fast–food chain stores utilize the television
and internet channels as a form of broadcast media in promoting their products. Everybody loves watching TV
and that is also the reason why fast–food chains are spending millions of pesos to advertise on TV so that their
target market would get aware of their products offering or in the case that these fast–food chains are offering
new combo meals of products with the use of TV, the audience would be easily get informed.

Table 5. Promotional Practices of Fast–food Chain Stores as perceived by the Customers

No. Indicators WM Verbal
Description
1. The fast–food chain incorporates a toy in every set meal for kids 4.05 Attractive
2. The fast–food chain gets celebrity endorsers or a well–known 4.15 Attractive
personalities to create brand consciousness and market loyalty to their
customers
3. The fast–food chain uses TV Program as a form of Advertisement 4.12 Attractive
4. The fast–food chain is engaged in publicity or public relations 3.86 Attractive
5. The fast–food chain is giving out coupons that give the consumers 4.13 Attractive
discounted food items if the consumer purchases two items, free gift
items, raffle draws and a lot more
6. The fast–food chain uses billboards as a means of advertisement 3.98 Attractive
7. The fast–food chain comes up with value/combo meal/price pack that 4.35 Extremely
goes along with attractive ideas by offering some extra amount of food Attractive
with a minor difference of amount

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 Promotional Mix and Industry Practices of Leading Fast–food Industry in the Philippines:…

8. The fast–food chain introduces new products to its consumers in 3.96 Attractive
different seasons to attract new customers and keep hold of the existing
customers by offering/adding something new in their menu
9. The fast–food chain is creating stories related to their products that are 4.17 Attractive
usually touching the hearts of many consumers and it can be viewed on
social media like youtube and facebook as part of their endorsement
10. The fast–food chain stores utilizes the television as form of broadcast 4.00 Attractive
media in promoting their products
11. The fast–food chain employs magazines and newspapers as a form of 3.90 Attractive
print media in promoting their products
12. The fast–food chain uses tarpaulins as means of promoting their 3.97 Attractive
products and services
Average Weighted Mean 4.05 Attractive

Every organization wants a greater share of the total customer market and for this purpose, it becomes
very important for organizations to know their consumer’s reactions and responses towards their promotional
campaigns to implement them successfully (UK Essays, 2018). The promotional practices of the fast–food
chains where they come up with value/combo meal/price pack that goes along with attractive ideas by offering
some extra amount of food with a minor difference of amount were found by the customers as extremely
attractive. According to Suttle (2020), combining each food with a side dish and small drink to create a basic
combo meal attracts different consumers' tastes. Children are also an important market targeted by fast–food
chain stores because they offer special value meals for them. The young generation who considers it faster is the
potential high fat fast–food consumers. The fast–food environment is not considered only for eating but for
enjoyment also today, keeping in mind the several activities practiced in fast–food especially for children such
as birthday, get together parties and other unforgettable occasions. Several promotional activities are practiced
to attract new customers and to retain the existing ones (UK Essays, 2018). The customers were attracted to
combo and value meals because they feel like they are getting savings through it. Sharpe (2010) found out that
consumers place a perceived value on combo meals, even if it costs the same as choosing items a la carte.
Moreover, increasing the customer share of wallet is the primary objective of all marketing
propagandas given on all media dynamics through constant persuasion and reiteration of the unique selling
proposition on all media of communication to create a strong brand positioning or branding. More so, the
perceived value of the customer must always be the highlight of advertising and promotional script for the
reason that the effectiveness of promotional endeavors is only measurable in terms of sales and market share.

Table 6. Promotional Problems of Fast–food Chain Stores as perceived by the Managers

No. Indicators WM Verbal
Description
1. Staff assigned to direct selling program and activities lack necessary 3.33 Neutral
training and skills
2. There is a lack of continuous program to effectively launch direct selling 2.67 Neutral
strategies
3. Weak direct selling efforts does not improve the sales of many products 2.50 Disagree
4. Direct selling is not consistent with other promotional activities of the 2.17 Disagree
company
5. Poor monitoring of local and international events and opportunities 1.50 Strongly
Disagree
6. The company does not always make use of effective price reduction as 1.33 Strongly
sales promotion Disagree
7. The company does not use all the incentives that could boost sales 2.00 Disagree
8. The company lacks proper communication with the customers in 3.00 Neutral
promoting new products
9. Sociocultural activities and programs not properly monitored and 1.67 Strongly
effectively Disagree
10. The company is not concerned with government and private company 1.67 Strongly
activities related to the industries Disagree
11. Funds are not enough to support its publicity activities 1.33 Strongly
Disagree

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 Promotional Mix and Industry Practices of Leading Fast–food Industry in the Philippines:…

12. The officers and staff are not sensitive to issues where effective publicity 1.67 Strongly
could be launched Disagree
Average Weighted Mean 2.07 Disagree

The table above revealed the promotional problems of fast–food chain stores as perceived by the
managers. Managers can be assumed to conclude that workers assigned to the direct marketing program and
activities lack the requisite training and expertise as one of the minor problems they faced when enforcing their
promotional practices. Since poor direct selling efforts do not increase the sales of certain items, fast–food chain
stores have faced direct selling issues. Furthermore, there is a lack of a continuous program to effectively launch
direct selling strategies which are believed to be a not so effective strategy in the fast–food chains.
Perhaps, the direct selling strategy is just only a part of the entire Integrated Brand Promotion which is
composed of different dimensions in terms of marketing, advertising, and, sales and promotion. Creating good
promotional tactics or plans required exceptional skills in identifying the current marketing practices of the
direct and indirect competitors by implementing successive courses of competitors’ analysis and marketing
intelligence to win the market competition. Winning the market simply means capturing the awareness of the
target audience through unique captivation, in other words, the prevailing marketing practices of the market
cannot be duplicated nor reiterated such as direct selling.
By its technical definition, direct selling means selling with a personal connection, in which, this is the
practice of the entire market the reason why the strategy cannot standout nor capable to catch the attention. The
management must also find out how the target market perceives their brand in the marketplace so they can
assess the changing market position of competitive brands (Mina, 2020).

Table 7. Proposed Strategic Solution to Solve the Problems

Constraints/Problems Intervening Strategy Responsible Unit/Person
Staff assigned to direct selling Launch an effective training and  Human Resource Department
program and activities lack seminars in promotion and allot  Immediate Supervisor
necessary training and skills budget to implement
developmental programs for sales
staff
There is a lack of continuous Prepare report forms from sales  The Research and
program to effectively launch activities and establish a research Development Department with
direct selling strategies group department full intervention and
collaboration of the Marketing
Department
The company lacks proper Periodic survey on socio–cultural  The PR personnel or
communication with the activities affecting the industry, department
customers in promoting new involvement to local and  Marketing Department
products international events related to the  Market Researcher
industry to have the opportunity to
communicate with other food
chain store
Weak direct selling efforts does Initiate an effective sales meeting  Research and Development
not improve the sales of many and establish a research group Department
products department  The immediate Supervisor of
the employee involved
Direct selling is not consistent Launch an effective training and  Resource Speaker/program
with other promotional activities seminars focusing in brand and  The Human Resource
of the company product promotion Department
 The Mall Manager
(Management)
 The Marketing Department
1. Launch an effective training and seminars in promotion and allot budget to implement
developmental programs for sales staff
Plans are written roadmaps to achieve the goals and objectives of a certain organization, however, these
plans are useless without proper implementation due to misguided sales staff and low budget allocation for
proper implementation. Furthermore, any concept of promotion entails a cost due to technical requirements
or resources needed for the program implementation and the human resources for proper program
application.

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2. Prepare report forms from sales activities and establish a research group department
The gurus of the Total Quality Management engraved in most successful Japanese businesses and
industries––the real essence of business evaluation is to find the technical issue and to identify the strategic
relevance of the tactics based on the current market situation especially for fast–food chains related
businesses because these can be considered as people’s business, meaning to say that these industries exists
because of the consumers’ need—a consumer centered business. For this instance, these require a series of
report evaluation for the research and development team (R and D) to unveil the ever–changing consumers’
behavior.
3. Periodic survey on socio–cultural activities affecting the industry, involvement to local and
international events related to the industry to have the opportunity to communicate with other fast–
food chain store
Product and concept innovation are continuous process for growth and development, moreover, building
synergy, collaboration and cooperation to other related industries in both local and international will
reinforce the strategic formulation of the industry to grow for the reason that the industry per se is part of
the macro–environment. Defining and redefining the current market situation by exacting information for
other related industries will help the micro–fast–food chain industry in NE Pacific Mall, Cabanatuan City,
Nueva Ecija to benchmark with internal local industry practices.
4. Initiate an effective sales meeting and establish a research group department
The core function of the research department is to identify the real cause of the problem and to enhance the
current marketing practices by conducting causal researches. However, the output of the research
department is not sufficient enough to withstand without proper information dissemination though formal
sales meeting with an agenda of inculcating the objectives of the firm together with the discussion plans and
courses of action. According to Mina (2020), in evaluating the company's place in the market, this strategic
technique is very useful, thereby providing the owner the foundation for working for the best game plan to
have its competitive advantage over its rivals.
5. Launch an effective training and seminars focusing in brand and product promotion
All marketing tools and promotional mixes are good, however, it requires an excellent application and
implementation with proper consideration in time—the concept of the right strategy at the right time. This
is only attainable provided that the involved fast–food institutions will build a network to somehow build a
concept of market monopolization in a certain area—your practices are our practices. Increasing brand
awareness of the products and services being offered in their target market must be given much attention as
well (Mina and Campos, 2018). This is only attainable provided that the involved institution will agree to
do so by conducting rigid seminars and collaborative program development.

V. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

The fact that selected fast–food chain stores used the same sort of advertisements to advertise their
products is among the prominent results of this study. It was also learned by the researchers that direct selling,
sales promotion, advertising, and public relations or publicity were some of their existing promotional practices.
It can also be concluded that the Television Program and endorsement by well–known personalities are still the
most attractive promotional practices, and, broadcast media specifically television is the most commonly used
media of communication used by the fast–food chain stores.
Based on the study results, it is recommended that fast–food chain stores should try different
advertising tactics to draw the interest of more consumers. Also, the fast–food chain stores should serve the
same kind of items to draw more loyal customers, but distinguishably different from each other and can put
more advertising across the different media of communication. Into the bargain, the researchers also recommend
that they should continue to innovate their product lines by adding certain characteristics that will attract the
middle–income community as their clients, especially students. By the same token, to solve problems besetting
the managers related to promotional practices, it is suggested that these fast–food chain stores should initiate
effective sales meetings and launch incentive programs for their sales people. In this regard, the managers
should conduct periodic inventory control and initiate periodic audits to identify which combo meals are the
most marketable. Lastly, the researchers suggest following the proposed strategic solutions to solve the
problems besetting the stores.

*Corresponding Author: Jennilyn C. Mina1 www.aijbm.com 16 | Page

 Promotional Mix and Industry Practices of Leading Fast–food Industry in the Philippines:…

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*Corresponding Author: Jennilyn C. Mina1

1
Faculty Member, College of Management and Business Technology–San Isidro Campus
(Tabon Annex), San Isidro Campus, Nueva Ecija Philipppines 3106

*Corresponding Author: Jennilyn C. Mina1 www.aijbm.com 18 | Page