FAST FOOD 2011:
INDUSTRY REALITIES AND EXPERIENCE IDEAS
Now is a really exciting time to be in marketing, especially if you’re in the quick service or fast casual restaurant space. So much is changing—particularly for consumers. So we gathered some colleagues and asked: What are the biggest opportunities? How can brands enhance their business and innovate their experience? Read on‌ and join our conversation online at blog.jackmorton.com/tagged/QSR
INDUSTRY REALITY #1: HUGE EMPLOYEE TURNOVER LEADS TO INCONSISTENT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES, INCREASED TRAINING COSTS, AND MISSED UPSELLING OPPORTUNITIES.
IDEA: THE CMO AS EMPLOYEE ALIGNMENT ADVOCATE “Aligning employees to deliver a great customer experience is vital for QSR brands. It’s something CMOs should focus on because the experience is the brand. And right now it’s really important for staff to reinforce positive changes like healthy menu items. So here are three ways CMOs can be employee alignment advocates: One, by speaking up for training budgets and investing in people. Two, by ensuring that brand values are part of the recruiting process, because if hiring people who fit your brand will help turnover. And three, by advocating employee programs that identify and retain high-value staff who can deliver a good experience.” [Helen Graney]
INDUSTRY REALITY #2: EVERY QSR—INCLUDING THE BEST—IS CONSTANTLY OBSESSING OVER HOW TO INCREASE RESTAURANT TRAFFIC.
IDEA: SOCIAL COUPONING + STORYTELLING “The QSR sector still relies on tactics to drive traffic that just aren’t relevant to millennials and younger Gen X consumers— their most important target. There’s a huge need to do things in new ways. Take social couponing. It can be a great way to engage younger adult consumers—to gain interest, show relevance, build loyalty and spark word of mouth. This segment loves exclusivity and being in on a secret, so building ‘cool cachet’ factor, whether through social couponing or other means, is going to grab attention. And once they’re in the door, owned media assets are a great platform for storytelling and showing how your brand is different. Brands like Chipotle do this well, and people line up to get in.” [Leesa Wytock]
INDUSTRY REALITY #3: INNOVATION DRIVES THIS CATEGORY. LAUNCHING NEW PRODUCTS AND OFFERS WELL IS CRUCIAL TO GROWTH.
IDEA: MAKE THE LAUNCH AN OWNED MEDIA EXPERIENCE “A launch is an opportunity to go big and generate a lot of media. To do that efficiently, instead of thinking ‘paid,’ think ‘owned’ and ‘earned’. If you have to go through the effort of changing your promoted product ten times a year, why not take it beyond just the product? Show that you're both serving your consumers' needs—and being authentic. Think of the product as another owned media property—one that needs to line up with who you are. Another brand experience that needs to deliver. And then launch it in a way that only your brand can. Create and own an experience—do something amazing that gets people’s attention and earns their attention and advocacy. As we've seen, even a price-point can be ownable if it's done right.” [Jeb Blatt]
INDUSTRY REALITY #4: CONSUMERS, ESPECIALLY YOUNG ADULTS, EXPECT MORE. IT’S NOT JUST A CONSISTENT EXPERIENCE THEY WANT: IT’S A NEW EXPERIENCE.
IDEA: BUILD A DISTINCTIVE BRAND EXPERIENCE “Growing fast casual brands like Panera and expanding regional players like Sonic prove that consumers will reward companies that serve great food in a distinctive atmosphere— in Panera’s case, a relaxed café atmosphere, and in Sonic’s, the drive-in model. So it’s a no-brainer that fast food brands should think about how it’s right for them to invest in building a distinctive brand experience that reflects their consumers, their business model and the specific market. Is it about adding a service like Wi-Fi that enhances the experience? Or is it about changing the experience with a completely new format designed to be a destination? Or even riding the food truck trend with a restaurant on wheels?” [Liz Bigham]
INDUSTRY REALITY #5: CONSUMERS INCREASINGLY ARE SEEKING OUT “VALUE MEALS” IN LINE WITH THEIR VALUES
IDEA: LEVERAGE SUPPLIER PARTNERSHIPS “Consumers are really interested in food these days, and that’s a great opportunity for QSRs to expand and leverage their partnerships with suppliers. That includes partners with an ‘ethical food’ ethos. Look at the precedent of McDonald’s and Newman’s Own and then extend that through to more local suppliers of less typically ‘branded’ ingredients. Again, McDonald’s is a point of reference: they ran a mobile ad campaign in Oregon that celebrated the fact that the apples in their pies were all locally sourced—a great example of using mobile technology to send a relevant message to specific consumers. Imagine what QSRs could do by cultivating and celebrating partnerships across their business.” [Tim Leighton]
INDUSTRY REALITY #6: BRANDS ARE TALKING TO CONSUMERS IN CHINA AND OTHER NEW MARKETS—BUT THEY HAVE WORK HARDER TO BE SURE THEY’RE SPEAKING THE RIGHT WAY.
IDEA: ENGAGE CONSUMERS TO SEE THEIR BRAND POV “Top-performing QSR brands in China have worked hardest to make their menus relevant to local tastes. That’s a big adjustment for global brands that pride themselves on absolute consistency. Consistency of quality is great: food safety scandals mean Chinese consumers put a premium on trusted and well-known brands. But consistency shouldn’t mean an inability to see your brand through Chinese consumers’ eyes. KFC localized its menu in China with rice dishes and darker meat. Yet it still feels very much KFC—achieving consistency and alignment all in one. So brands looking for growth in China should work to create brand experiences where consumers can interact and give feedback. That can help brands see themselves through consumers’ eyes.” [Ben Taylor]
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT LIZ BIGHAM AT LIZ_BIGHAM@JACKMORTON.COM FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @JACKMORTON VISIT US ONLINE AT JACKMORTON.COM READ OUR BLOG AT BLOG.JACKMORTON.COM READ MORE TRENDS ON QSR AT/ BLOG.JACKMORTON.COM/TAGGED/QSR
JACK MORTON WORLDWIDE IS A GLOBAL BRAND EXPERIENCE AGENCY. WE CREATE EXPERIENCES THAT STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BRANDS AND THE PEOPLE WHO MATTER MOST TO THEM—THEREBY HELPING OUR CLIENTS BECOME TALKED-ABOUT EXPERIENCE BRANDS. RATED AMONG THE TOP MARKETING SERVICE AGENCIES WORLDWIDE, WE INTEGRATE LIVE AND ONLINE EXPERIENCES, DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA, AND BRANDED 3D ENVIRONMENTS THAT ENGAGE AND INSPIRE CONSUMERS, BUSINESS PARTNERS AND EMPLOYEES. OUR STAFF WORK ACROSS THE US, EUROPE AND ASIA-PACIFIC AS PART OF AN I D E A S - L E D A G E N C Y C U L T U R E . ©
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