Burger Brand Trend & Sentiment Analysis
Google Trends • Consumer Research • graduate Project • California
In-N-Out
Regional leader
McDonald's
Global constant
Burger King
Mid-tier
Five Guys
Low vis
Hamburger
Generic term
OVERVIEW
Analyzed consumer search behavior for leading burger brands in California using Google Trends data — covering McDonald's, In-N-Out Burger, Burger King, Five Guys, and the generic keyword "Hamburger." The goal was to understand brand visibility, competitive positioning, and consumer search intent across a defined geographic market over time.
WHAT I DID
Data collection & structuring
Collected weekly Google Trends data for all five terms across California. Transformed raw data into a structured format for consistent weekly comparisons.
Trend & seasonality analysis
Built line charts and comparative tables to identify search peaks, seasonal patterns, and relative brand performance over time.
Branded vs. generic comparison
Compared branded queries against the generic "Hamburger" term to understand where consumers enter the search funnel — category-level or brand-specific.
Competitive positioning
Assessed each brand's search visibility relative to competitors — identifying regional dominance patterns, declining trends, and underperforming brands.
OUTCOMES
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In-N-Out dominated regional search interest — consistently leading Burger King and Five Guys despite smaller national footprint
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McDonald's maintained steady baseline demand — behaving as a global staple rather than a trend-driven brand
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"Hamburger" outperformed all branded terms — consumers start with category-level searches before narrowing to brands, signaling SEO opportunity
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Five Guys lagged significantly — low regional search volume reflects weak California brand awareness and visibility
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Seasonal spikes aligned with summer and holidays — indicating predictable demand patterns for campaign planning
KEY LEARNING
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Google Trends is a powerful proxy for consumer intent and brand visibility — especially for regional competitive analysis
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Category-level searches consistently outweigh branded searches — generic keyword SEO is underutilized by most brands
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Regional brand equity (In-N-Out) can sustain search dominance even against global players with larger ad budgets
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Low search volume brands (Five Guys) need targeted awareness campaigns before conversion-focused spend makes sense
TOOLS USED
Full project available on GitHub