• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, October 4, 2013

Burger King's launch of "Satisfries" -- fries with 30% fewer calories and 40% less fat than its regular fries -- appears to be helping to drive a perception boost for the brand among two important constituencies: consumers who consider themselves in good or excellent health and parents, reports YouGov BrandIndex, which measures consumer perceptions of brands on a daily basis.

In the days after “Satisfries” debuted on Sept. 24, the two groups recorded 2013 highs for Burger King in BrandIndex’s Buzz score measurement, which asks respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?"

BK's word-of-mouth showed a similar rise over the past two weeks, particularly among parents, per BrandIndex's WOM score (which asks: "Which of the following brands have you talked about with friends and family in the past two weeks -- whether in person, online or through social media?")

All results were divided into two groups: adults with children under 18 years old, and adults 18 and over who consider themselves in either good or excellent health. BrandIndex measurement scores range from 100 to -100 and are compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.

Within the parent demographic, Burger King's Buzz score moved from 1 on Sept. 14 to a 2013 peak score of 28 on Sept. 27. As of Oct. 2, its Buzz score was 25. 

BK's WOM score within the parent demographic was 20 on Sept. 14, jumped to 30 when the Satisfries were announced 10 days later, and stayed there for three more days. As of Oct. 2, its WOM score within the parent demographic was 25.

Within the healthy consumer demographic, BK's Buzz score was 7 as of Sept. 14. That jumped to a 2013 peak score of 20 on Sept. 26, and had dipped only slightly, to 19, as of Oct. 2. 

Within this heathy demographic, BK's WOM score started its climb on Sept. 17 with an 11, and hit 16 on Sept. 26, where it remained as of Oct. 2.

Burger King currently has more than 337,000 followers on Twitter, and nearly 6.5 million "likes" on Facebook.