Summer Road-Trippers Seek Out Fast Food, Prone to Snack Attacks

Survey from Outcast pump TV network shows their demographic travels more and with more passengers.

May 23, 2014

NEW YORK – Outcast announced this week the findings of its Pulse at the Pump: Road Trip survey. The findings show that of Outcast's audience of summer road trippers, 61% scrap their healthy eating habits for fast food, 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.

Pulse at the Pump is a study designed by Outcast, and administered via Equation Research, meant to gain unique insights from the American driver.

"Outcast and Equation are working together to measure the ever-changing habits of the American driver," said Chris Burke, vice president of research strategy at Equation, in a press release. "The Pulse at the Pump study is particularly interesting, as it measures not only the American public, but the shifts in attitude of those who are regular Outcast viewers, making for a highly relevant, timely series of statistics."

According to the survey, 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 than the general population to have three or more people in the car.

"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."

Sixty percent of Outcast’s respondents say they go into the convenience store more than half of the time on summer road trips and only half know exactly what they're going to purchase before going into the store, while the other half like to make an impulse purchase.

According to the most recent NACS Consumer Fuels Survey, Americans are expected to average more than two summer vacation trips of at least two nights away from home, and the bulk of this travel will be by car. More than 8 in 10 consumers (84%) say that they will drive for a summer vacation.

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