On today’s episode of The QSR Experience Show, Bobby speaks with Jodie Conrad, Chief Marketing Officer at Donatos Pizza, a family-owned pizza company with more than 150 locations. They discuss the ways in which digital channels have transformed the customer experience, how they’re optimizing their menu to create more consistency across locations, and why QSRs need initiatives to help their frontline employees be more successful. They also talk about why a great marketing strategy is staying true to the brand, “no gimmicks,” and prioritizing solving problems.
Topics discussed:
- What Jodie’s marketing philosophy is and why it centers around solving problems and “no gimmicks.”
- How the rising role of IT and technology in QSRs provides better customer experiences.
- How digital channels and in-store experiences converge to reduce friction and give customers more control.
- How Donatos is creating consistency across locations by optimizing its menu to ensure the same pizza wherever you are.
- How Donatos is thinking about food trends, and how customers enjoy basics with a twist.
- Why QSRs need to invest in initiatives that bring more value and success to their employees.
- Why a great strategy is to stay true to what makes the brand “the brand” and to find your unique offering.
Quotes:
“I would say my marketing philosophy is kind of — I am in the no gimmicks kind of camp. I think the way you really make significant differences in what a brand’s trajectory looks like is to solve a problem. For people to really give them something that’s different than they can get anywhere else, that makes their life easier and better, that solves a real problem versus April Fool’s Day jokes or funny campaigns. Like something that really is meaningful in terms of the product, the service, the value, all that you’re giving them as part of being a part of their lives.”
“Thinking about technology and the role that it provides in making the experience with Donatos Pizza a great one is as important as the product and the people, and everything else that we do.”
“80% of our business comes into the restaurant digitally. … It’s a win for us because it takes out some labor or some possible mistakes, but it’s also great for the consumer because they have more control.”
“As a strong brand, you have to have consistency — that people know they can count on you from day to day, from shift to shift, and from location to location.”
“We have a value proposition to our consumers on what we provide, but equally, we need to do that for the people who work for us. … If we don’t give them a good experience, they can leave tomorrow.”
