Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2016 | Page 20
CONSUMER MARKETING
CMOQ&A
Team Player
Cross-functional strategy drives
Fazoli’s new CMO
I
BY KERRY PIPES
n mid-2015, Sentinel Capital Partners
acquired Fazoli’s from Sun Capital. Sentinel, which had scooped up
Checkers and Rally’s, Newk’s Eatery, and
TGI Fridays the year before, targeted an
aggressive growth strategy for the nearly
30-year-old brand. And this past February,
Fazoli’s announced the hiring of a new
CMO and vice president of
operations.
The CMO was Donna Josephson, who was tapped for
her two decades of marketing
experience at brands that included McAlister’s Deli, Wendy’s, Applebee’s, and Chickfil-A. At Fazoli’s Josephson is
spearheading marketing strategies aimed at supercharging
the brand’s growth across its
220 units. But it’s a team approach from top to bottom,
says Josephson.
“Marketing strategies are
developed to support the key
initiatives in conjunction with
our agency partners and then
shared with cross-functional
leaders to ensure alignment,”
she says. “There is ongoing
communication of the plan
throughout the year, and we
have a cross-functional execution that brings the plan to life.”
Plans also are shared with the
franchise advisory board and
then with the entire system.
Josephson has a track record of marketing success.
As vice president of marketing at McAlister’s, she led the executive
team in redefining the sandwich chain’s
brand positioning and recruited and built
a team to support it. At Chick-fil-A she
pioneered local marketing programs, and
in the marketing office at Wendy’s she was
awarded the R. David Thomas Outstand-
18
ing Management Award.
She understands how marketing affects the performance of the brand and is
well aware of its relationship to a brand’s
operations and balance sheet. That’s why
she believes it’s important to be “bottomline focused while building programs that
appeal to consumers.”
Describe your role as CMO. I lead
overall brand strategy development, brand
management, national and local initiatives,
as well as research and development, and
menu innovation. My team is responsible
for driving profitable sales growth for our
220 franchise and company locations.
What’s the most challenging part
of being a CMO today? One of the
biggest challenges is ensuring that the
team is up to date on technological advancements and how consumers’ needs
and wants are evolving within this rapidly
changing environment. Technology has
enabled marketers to have more information in regard to consumer behavior
than we have ever had. Interpreting that
data to create products and meaningful
experiences that meet our guests’ needs
and increase demand for Fazoli’s is key.
We are adding new technology that will
enable the organization at all levels to
better serve our customers. This new
technology will provide better data for
decision-making, better communication and training for
associates, and help us provide a better overall guest
experience.
What are the 3 most important keys to being an effective CMO leader today?
Assuming the basic foundations
of solid brand positioning that
resonates with consumers and
a high-functioning marketing
and R&D team are in place,
first it is crucial to understand
the guests’ journey as they interact with your brand. Data
provides insights into the everchanging needs and wants of
our guests. At Fazoli’s, developing great-tasting products
and meaningful programs to
fill those needs across all touch
points of their journey with
the brand helps us deliver a
consistent and rewarding dining experience that drives both
trial and repeat business. This
leads to the second key, which
is being able to work well and
partner across all levels of the
organization. It is not enough
to create great products and demand for
them. From advertising to the delivery
of the product, the CMO needs to work
cross-functionally with other departments in the organization to ensure the
guest experience is brought to life in a
meaningful way. This requires develop-
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