Clicks 2 Bricks

Chipotle is slowly cementing its place as an institution in the food landscape, and this is in large part due to its incredible marketing efforts. From their NBA final ‘freeting’ to their involvement at the National Spelling Bee, the company is making huge strides in entrenching themselves into popular culture. Leading the marketing charge is our guest today, Chris Brandt, who has been CMO for 18 months. Before this, he held CMO roles at Taco Bell and Bloomin’ Brands, along with senior positions at Coca Cola and General Mills. In this episode, Chris sheds some light on what working at Chipotle has been like. When he started at the company, they were in the midst of a food safety crisis. While he worked with PR on damage control, he also spotted an opportunity to share how real everything at Chipotle was.

Jersey Mike’s is an intriguing brand for many reasons. Not only is it rapidly expanding, with 1700 stores across the country, but it also strives to have a mom-and-pop feel without being a mom-and-pop joint. They want their customers to have a warm, intimate experience rather than a distanced one synonymous with chain restaurants. At the helm of the company's marketing ship is Rich Hope, today’s guest. He has been CMO for the past 10 years, having started when there were only 30 locations. Not only has Rich overseen tremendous growth, but he has deftly navigated the brand through the past decade’s constantly evolving landscape. In this episode, Rich sheds light on various cogs in Jersey Mike’s marketing machine.

Welcome to the Clicks to Bricks Podcast! This is Episode 0, in which we will lay down the foundations of the show and explain to listeners why there is a need for a podcast dedicated to multi-location marketing. Kicking off this podcast, your host Rob Reed and guest Joergen Aaboe are interviewing one another, asking questions about the relevance of the podcast, giving listeners a glimpse of what they can expect, and mapping out the profile of guests that will be featured on the show. The two discuss their former involvement with MomentFeed, how the last decade has culminated in the multi-location landscape marketers know today, and how smartphones have altered the dynamic of marketing. 

What emerges from the conversation is the importance of connection to the consumer if you want to remain competitive as a marketer in 2020 and onward. Grabbing the attention of your audience is no longer the top priority; instead, marketers are now competing to keep the consumer interested by finding innovative ways to connect with them. But it’s not all business on this podcast – we also talk about Joergen’s obsession with Chipotle and discuss how this famous fast-casual restaurant has managed to build out their brand while also growing their revenue. Be sure to tune in for everything multi-location marketing and more! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Hear about Joergen’s former role as head of marketing at MomentFeed. 
• The purpose of the podcast, the audience, and the profile of guests that will be interviewed. 
• The circumstances that brought about the discipline of multi-location marketing. 
• Find out how today’s real-time smartphone engagement promotes connection to the consumer. 
• A shift away from trying to capture attention to holding on to the attention of consumers. 
• The important balance between brand and revenue, and how that can be applied to Chipotle. 
• Thoughts on how Chipotle has stayed culturally relevant and the reward of their brave social media marketing. 
• A look back at Rob and Joergen’s time at MomentFeed and what they learned about establishing culture. 
• Chipotle’s keto-friendly options and how it testifies to their integration into contemporary culture. 
• Ideas for how this fast-casual restaurant can leverage their “farmer’s market look” for location-specific marketing.
• The build-your-own model of the Chipotle menu and how they keep their options innovative. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Joergen Aaboe on LinkedIn

Joergen Aaboe on Twitter

Rob Reed on LinkedIn

Rob Reed on Twitter

MomentFeed

Chris Brandt on LinkedIn

Chipotle 

Rich Hope on LinkedIn

Jersey Mike’s Subs

Brad Haley on LinkedIn

IHOP

Google Analytics

Starbucks

Gary Vaynerchuk

Seinfeld

Taco Bell

Outback Steakhouse

Tom’s Watch Bar