headlines

2013 was quite the year for the restaurant industry. Taco Bell made a splash with its much-anticipated Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos launch and Smashburger bowed its first TV campaign.  Other big news was made by McDonald’s, Chipotle, Starbucks, and Panera – and then there was the non-news of KFC’s Original Recipe boneless chicken. Check […]

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The McRib is back!  As the masses hurry into McDonald’s for the perennially successful product, other fast feeders are hoping their latest new creations will inspire similar loyal followings.  And new products aren’t just the lifeblood fast feeders — most every type of business faces the challenge of introducing new offerings that will catch on […]

This year’s Fall Marketing Executives Group Conference (MEG) was billed as “big ideas for marketing executives short on time” and it lived up to the description.  Within a span of 24 hours, a range of speakers from the restaurant industry and beyond shared stories, advice, and results about their marketing efforts.  Here’s a slideshow of […]

brand-as-business bit:  A Google search for “marketing to millennials” produces nearly 1 million results.  Tapping into the large and influential millennial market is certainly important for many companies. But if you really want to get out in front of the trends, you should also be tracking Generation Z.  Generation Z is the cohort group of 68 […]

In my latest QSR Magazine column, I lay out keys to social media success.  Frankly it was a difficult column to write — not only because there are so many media options and new ones are emerging daily (I just learned about Ban.jo and Muuver this week), but also because there are so many ways to use these […]

brand-as-business bit:   To expand or not to expand, that is the question — the question most companies grapple with at some point. While entering a new market certainly opens up a new revenue stream and increases the impact and stature of your brand, it can also add complexity and variability that threaten your operations and […]