CASE Study: Wendy’s / Food & cultural relevance

Understanding fast food in U.S. Latino lives

scenarioDNA used ethnographic fieldwork to help Wendy’s understand how fast food connected with Latino identity, dietary habits, and family traditions in the United States. The findings informed strategic guidance around community, changing traditions, and cultural relevance.

The question: How did fast food fit into changing lives?

Wendy’s wanted to deepen its cultural relevance with Latino consumers in the United States. The brief asked how fast food related to identity and daily eating, bringing family traditions and cultural change into the question of brand relevance.

The research: Exploring food, identity, and community

Our ethnographic fieldwork examined the connections among fast food, Latino identity, dietary habits, and family traditions. We decoded cultural meanings that positioned fast food as both a bridge to community and a reflection of changing traditions.

The application: A cultural foundation for positioning

We translated the findings into strategic guidance for Wendy’s positioning and engagement. The work gave the team a way to consider fast food within the social and cultural contexts of people's lives, connecting relevance with the relationship between continuity, change, and community.

Explore our approach: Culture Mapping · Cultural Research & Intelligence