1851

MBLM’s Brand Intimacy Study, the largest study of brands based on emotions, recently released its&nbsp;<a href="https://mblm.com/lab/brandintimacy-study/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">12th annual ranking</a>, measuring the emotional bonds customers had with their favorite brands over the past year. For three years running,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/how-much-does-a-chick-fil-a-franchise-cost-2715278">Chick-fil-A</a> has taken&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/chick-fil-a-franchise-restaurant-ranks-supreme-in-new-study-2720588#franchisor">the top spot</a> in the fast food category. This year, a new victor emerged, and they brought hot donuts.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.krispykreme.com/about?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Krispy Kreme</a> ranked No. 1 in MBLM’s Brand Intimacy 2022 Study, while Chick-fil-A barely cracked the top 10.&nbsp;The MBLM study uses&nbsp;<a href="https://mblm.com/lab/brandintimacy-study/overview/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">in-depth emotional science</a> to rate the degree of intimacy each brand elicits within its customer base, including the level of fulfillment, emotional connection, nostalgia and indulgence. The enhanced 2022 study “combines MBLM’s proven Brand Intimacy model with the power of AI and big data to analyze over 600 brands, assessing how consumers bond with the brands they use and love.”<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs93AK7RCho"><div class="iframely-embed"><div class="iframely-responsive"><iframe src="//cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?app=1&amp;api_key=fd3b6b3731f34f55ba1fe3&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DXs93AK7RCho" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></div></figure>This year, Krispy Kreme received a score of 40.4 out of 50, ranking it 145th out of all brands and first in the fast food category, followed by&nbsp;<a href="https://us.costacoffee.com/business?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Costa Coffee</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.starbucks.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Starbucks</a>, respectively. The remaining brands in the top 10 for fast food are&nbsp;<a href="https://development.focusbrands.com/cinnabon/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Cinnabon</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://franchise.bloominbrands.com/global/brands/outback-steakhouse/brand-background?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Outback Steakhouse</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/us-franchising.html?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">McDonald’s</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://brinker.com/franchise?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Chili’s</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chick-fil-a.com/franchise?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Chick-fil-A</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dunkinfranchising.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Dunkin’</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kfc.com/franchising?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">KFC</a>. Interestingly, out of the top five fast food brands, four of them (Krispy Kreme, Costa, Starbucks and Cinnabon) fall into the&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/top-dessert-franchise-opportunities-of-2022-2718202">sweets</a>/<a href="https://1851franchise.com/top-coffee-and-cafe-franchise-opportunities-of-2022-2718192">coffee chain&nbsp;</a>sub-category.&nbsp;This may be a product of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on eating habits, the study suggests, with 47% of respondents in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mdlinx.com/article/how-covid-19-has-changed-how-americans-eat/7m3f7Ek2uPtTIYOgAUWkvT?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">another survey</a> indicating they were eating more sweets now than before the pandemic. “Indulgence, which centers on moments of gratification and pampering, is the fast food industry’s dominant archetype, followed by nostalgia,” the study shows.&nbsp;When it comes to consumer experience, Krispy Kreme nails both indulgence and nostalgia. The brand is known for its signature “hot light” — a red neon light that makes mouths water by signaling the arrival of fresh, hot donuts just out of the oven. Similarly, the brand leans into its retro, mid-century look and often reintroduces “<a href="https://www.thestreet.com/investing/krispy-kreme-ice-cream-popsicle-donuts?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">throwback</a>” donut flavors.&nbsp;<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CYAf-UX1JyfNg83MZQKWLQDwYmd4iL4an64nywyZOCELWii5tCG9Pgzx7qtRhJfGdlmoFpS2vsS1Cp3sDZc7hZI4PgyizdSRITY-34P6xXhBuoo9HcjGWv3L49spFuG-O5ycTjQqu1zQcPq-9BxEUvKUhObDjmx-WZcafgwt8b1CssqwgPLGsmLvXNjAMw">Krispy KremeThis nostalgic approach may be what sealed Krispy Kreme’s victory this year. According to the study, Chick-fil-A’s dominant archetype is identity, whereas Krispy Kreme’s is nostalgia. The study also theorizes that&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/chick-fil-a-stops-donating-to-christian-charities-after-backlash-from-lgbt-community-2711651">Chick-fil-A’s religious identity</a> may be clashing with an increasingly secular American public. This year, Chick-fil-A had a Brand Intimacy Quotient score of 35.8, coming in eighth in the fast food industry and 221st in the overall study.&nbsp;Although consumer sentiment surrounding fast food had been on the&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/covid-19-vaccine-what-it-means-for-the-pizza-and-fast-food-boom-2714504">upswing</a> last year following the pandemic, it appears that it may be dwindling overall. MBLM found the fast food industry saw its Brand Intimacy Quotient score decrease this year, falling to 33.6, which is below the cross-industry average of 36.8.&nbsp;“Given how much people connect with their favorite meals, the fast food industry has a fairly poor showing in this year’s study. This may be reflective of the quick and often impersonal relationship consumers have with these brands,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marionatarelli?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Mario Natarelli</a>, managing partner at MBLM, said in a release. “Brands also may be finding it difficult to find the right balance between evolving with the latest food trends and preferences and staying true to their identities. We feel that if they can focus on the nurturing nature consumers have with food, and also on creating more personal connections, they will be able to build better emotional bonds.”&nbsp;&nbsp;And brand intimacy is no joke. Consistent with previous years, MBLM also found that top intimate brands outperformed Fortune 500 top brands across profit, revenue and stock performance.&nbsp;Read more about the MBLM study’s interesting methodology&nbsp;<a href="https://mblm.com/lab/brandintimacy-study/resources/methodology/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here</a> and check out the full rankings?<a href="https://mblm.com/lab/brandintimacy-study/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia-2720677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here</a>.&nbsp;Related articles<ul><li><a href="https://1851franchise.com/how-the-krispy-kreme-doughnuts-franchise-was-built-to-grow-2713710">How The Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Franchise Was Built to Grow</a></li><li><a href="https://1851franchise.com/how-much-does-a-chick-fil-a-franchise-cost-2715278#stories">How Much Does a Chick-fil-A Franchise Cost?</a></li><li><a href="https://1851franchise.com/how-chick-fil-a-dominates-brand-intimacy-and-what-brands-can-learn-from-it-2714747#stories">How Chick-fil-A Dominates 'Brand Intimacy' — And What Brands Can Learn From It</a></li></ul>

Krispy Kreme Dethrones Chick-Fil-A as the Most Intimate Fast-Food Brand, New Study Shows Consumers Want Indulgence and Nostalgia

1851 Franchise

MBLM’s Brand Intimacy 2022 Study saw Chick-fil-A, last year’s top-performing brand, drop to eighth place, whereas Krispy Kreme replaced it as the most intimate fast food brand of 2022 — here are some of the lessons brands can take away. 

krispy-kreme-dethrones-chick-fil-a-as-the-most-intimate-fast-food-brand-new-study-shows-consumers-want-indulgence-and-nostalgia

Sola Salons

Photo of interior of Sola Salons location

Why a Supercuts Area Developer Bet Big on Sola Salons

why-a-supercuts-area-developer-bet-big-on-sola-salons

Comfort Keepers

Comfort Keepers Named a Top Recession-Resistant and Most Profitable Franchise 

Comfort Keepers Named a Top Recession-Resistant and Most Profitable Franchise for 2025 by Franchise Business Review

comfort-keepers-top-recession-resistant-most-profitable-2025

Fitness Premier

Don't Go It Alone: Fitness Premier's Support System for Franchise Owners

own-a-fitness-premier-franchise-system-support

Paris Baguette Canada

photo of Paris Baguette coffee cup with pastry plate in the background

Area Developer Partnerships Drive International Growth for Paris Baguette

area-developers-international-growth

Paris Baguette

image of paris baguette franchise owner franchisee in a bakery with a cake

How Paris Baguette Sets Franchisees Up for Lasting Success

paris-baguette-franchise-support

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Round Table Pizza Franchisees Take FAT Brands to Court Over Marketing Fund Mismanagement

round-table-pizza-franchisees-take-fat-brands-to-court-over-marketing-fund-mismanagement

FAT Brands Nears Bankruptcy as Creditors Demand Repayment of $1.3 Billion Debt

fat-brands-nears-bankruptcy-as-creditors-demand-repayment-of-13-billion-debt

Callaway Sells Majority Stake in Topgolf to Private Equity for $770 Million

callaway-sells-majority-stake-in-topgolf-to-private-equity-for-770-million

Keith Sizemore headshot, Radiance Holdings

Radiance Holdings Names Keith Sizemore Chief Development Officer

keith-sizemore-radiance-holdings-cdo

Jobseekers Are Flocking to “Unglamorous” Jobs — And Home Service Franchises Could Benefit

Jobseekers Are Flocking to “Unglamorous” Jobs — And Home Service Franchises Could Be Poised To Benefit

jobseekers-shift-boosts-home-service-franchises

A Practical Playbook: Who To Call First When Franchising Your Business

franchising-your-business-who-to-call-first

CLA: Helping Businesses Navigate Growth, Compliance and Long-Term Success

cla-helping-businesses-navigate-growth-compliance-and-long-term-success

The Ultimate Guide To Franchising Your Business: How To Build a Scalable, Sustainable Franchise Brand

the-ultimate-guide-to-franchising-your-business-how-to-build-a-scalable-sustainable-franchise-brand

The Ultimate Guide to Franchising Your Business — Phase 5: Long-Term Success — How to Prioritize Innovation and Adaptation

the-ultimate-guide-to-franchising-your-business-phase-5-long-term-success-how-to-prioritize-innovation-and-adaptation

image of jerome hanway from right at home Las Cruces, New Mexico 1851 franchise franchisee spotlight

Jerome Hanway Is Building His Right at Home Franchise Around His Mission To Serve

right-at-home-franchise-las-cruces-jerome-hanway

Photo of group of dogs standing together in day care facility

Top Pet Boarding and Day Care Franchise Opportunities for 2025

top-pet-boarding-daycare-franchises

AI-related job cuts, October U.S. job cuts, American job cut record

AI-Fueled Layoffs Reshape the U.S. Job Market — And Highlight Franchising’s Resilience

ai-job-cuts-franchising-path-forward

1851 Franchisee Spotlight graphic with photo of Eli Cohen, Layne's Chicken Fingers logo

C5 Restaurants Grows its Texas Footprint with 40 Layne’s Chicken Fingers Locations Planned Statewide

eli-cohen-laynes-chicken-fingers-texas

Paris Baguette Welcomes Zac Sulma as New Chief Operating Officer

new-coo-zac-sulma

Krispy Kreme Dethrones Chick-Fil-A as the Most Intimate Fast-Food Brand, New Study Shows Consumers Want Indulgence and Nostalgia

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS