John Sexton Abrams’ Post

Welcome to ‘The Sauce’ – your dollop of marketing news from the past week. This week we look at a brand partnership with a difference, examine how focusing on value is paying off for the fast-food industry, and consider how brands can ensure a consistent brand identity across global markets. 👏🏼 B&Q Partners With DPD to Trial Robot Deliveries B&Q has partnered with DPD to trial autonomous robot deliveries in Milton Keynes, the location of several robot trials over the years and known for its straight streets. 🍕Focus on Value Paying Off for Fast-Food Giants Yum! Brands, owner of fast-food giants KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, says it is focusing on affordable options and is seeing increased revenue as a result of value promotions. ❌ Brands Struggling with Brand Identity Across Diverse Markets 81% of C-suite leaders struggle to maintain a unified brand identity across diverse markets, research from Contentful and VML has found. Brought to you by Awesomesauce Marketing - a full-service marketing agency serving UK and international clients. #DPD #KFC #Marketing #ViralMarketing #Branding

Welcome to ‘The Sauce’ – your dollop of marketing news from the past week. This week we look at a brand partnership with a difference, examine how focusing on value is paying off for the fast-food industry, and consider how brands can ensure a consistent brand identity across global markets. 👏🏼 B&Q Partners With DPD to Trial Robot Deliveries B&Q has partnered with DPD to trial autonomous robot deliveries in Milton Keynes, the location of several robot trials over the years and known for its straight streets. 🍕Focus on Value Paying Off for Fast-Food Giants Yum! Brands, owner of fast-food giants KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, says it is focusing on affordable options and is seeing increased revenue as a result of value promotions. ❌ Brands Struggling with Brand Identity Across Diverse Markets 81% of C-suite leaders struggle to maintain a unified brand identity across diverse markets, research from Contentful and VML has found. Brought to you by Awesomesauce Marketing - a full-service marketing agency serving UK and international clients. #DPD #KFC #PizzaHut #BrandIdentity #Awesomesauce

Sometimes innovation is awesome. Other times the strategist in me is like “Wtf are you thinking”? Oh right, you’re thinking about how you can make more money. Here’s an important thing to remember. You make more money by having a loyal customer base who loves the problem you solve. Increased profits are one of the outputs. When the problem you solve is providing a decent meal at a reasonable price, then break that … you end up in the conundrum that McDonald’s has worked itself into by “upclassing”. $15-20 for a meal? Heck no, consumers will go elsewhere. What do you think? https://lnkd.in/gagy3WDy

At the core of what I do is a simple idea: innovate. This isn't just about your standard vending machine setup or even those fancy micro markets. I'm the guy who likes to shake things up a bit. You know, introducing things that make people double-take and ask, "What's Mike up to now? Nobody's going to eat that." Well, I'm all for finding out. Yes, it might cost a bit to try something new, but to me, it's totally worth it. Forget the usual suspects like Doritos, Lays, and Snickers. Although we do still carry those, it's time to look beyond. There are tons of amazing brands out there doing some really cool stuff. They're not just making snacks that taste awesome, but they're also better for you. Here's where it gets interesting. Our machines come with a shopping cart feature. This means you can pick everything you want, all in one go. And thanks to our buddies at Cantaloupe Inc, your checkout is faster than a flash. That's the difference we're bringing. It's all about offering more than just snacks; it's about delivering a smarter, healthier, and speedier vending experience.

🥑➡️💄 From guacamole to glam! Chipotle's foray into beauty with Wonderskin showcases the power of shaping expectations. This unexpected partnership integrates the context of messy but delicious meals, offering a solution. It's a clever way to generate buzz and deepen brand engagement, proving that sometimes, the best partnerships are the most surprising ones. #Cobranding #Branding #BrandStrategy #BrandCollaboration

🍕✨ Say goodbye to messy transfers and hello to effortless serving as you glide that piping hot slice onto your plate. Whether it's thin crust or deep dish, conquer pizza night like a pro! 🎉 Make every slice a seamless delight! 🍪 Robust and Sturdy 🍪 Sturdy, lightweight pizza peel 🍪 Transform the crucial pizza-slide-in-the-oven moment into a fun game Credit: Shopenzer, Inc. - Product link is in the first comment 👇😊 #onlineshopping #advertisingandmarketing  #innovation  #technology Follow Shopenzer

🍕✨ Say goodbye to messy transfers and hello to effortless serving as you glide that piping hot slice onto your plate. Whether it's thin crust or deep dish, conquer pizza night like a pro! 🎉 Make every slice a seamless delight! 🍪 Robust and Sturdy 🍪 Sturdy, lightweight pizza peel 🍪 Transform the crucial pizza-slide-in-the-oven moment into a fun game Credit: Shopenzer, Inc. - Product link is in the first comment 👇😊 #onlineshopping #advertisingandmarketing  #innovation  #technology Follow Shopenzer

🍕✨ Say goodbye to messy transfers and hello to effortless serving as you glide that piping hot slice onto your plate. Whether it's thin crust or deep dish, conquer pizza night like a pro! 🎉 Make every slice a seamless delight! 🍪 Robust and Sturdy 🍪 Sturdy, lightweight pizza peel 🍪 Transform the crucial pizza-slide-in-the-oven moment into a fun game Credit: Shopenzer, Inc. - Product link is in the first comment 👇😊 #onlineshopping #advertisingandmarketing  #innovation  #technology Follow Shopenzer

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗠𝗰𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗱’𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 💰🍔 Ever walked into McDonald’s, craving a simple cheeseburger, and ended up with a Big Tasty, fries, Coke, nuggets, and a McFlurry? You’re not alone. It’s all thanks to those self-order terminals, which are more than just high-tech menu boards – they’re designed to subtly influence your choices and increase your order size. From showcasing the priciest items front and center to making the smaller, cheaper options less visible, these kiosks use clever design to guide you toward bigger meals. And just when you think you’re done, they’ll throw in a colorful animation to reward you for adding more to your cart, pushing you back to the menu for a dessert you didn’t even want! 😅 McDonald’s is a master of “nudging”—design tricks that get you to spend more without realizing it. In fact, after introducing these kiosks, McDonald’s profits went up by 15% in some countries. And let’s not forget the subtle “dark patterns,” like hiding the total price in a tiny corner, making it easier to ignore how much you’re spending until it’s too late. While these terminals make ordering easier (and a bit more fun), they’re also designed to maximize your order – and your bill. So, next time you’re at McDonald’s, you might want to keep an eye on your cart before it adds up faster than you think! Source : https://lnkd.in/ghKrw8Zm #UXDesign #MarketingStrategy #CustomerExperience #McDonalds #Upselling #DarkPatterns #Nudging #Marketing #Design #Burgers #Pizzas #RetailMarketing #ConsumerPsychology #FastFoodMarketing #SelfOrderKiosks #DigitalTransformation #UserExperience #SalesStrategy #CustomerJourney #ImpulseBuying #BrandStrategy #MarketingInsights

Dominos is a tech company that sells Pizza. How you too can think and win differently.👇 To win in today's volatile market, you need to stop thinking straight and start thinking divergently. I remember brainstorming in a client workshop with then CP+B Creative Director Andrew Lincoln . He and his team launched many breakthrough business ideas for Dominos, but my favorite was ordering with the 🍕 emoji. This wasn't just another flashy ad campaign. This was one of the many examples of how creativity transforms companies. Dominos disrupted their category by changing the way they thought about themselves. Let's rewind for a second: It's the late 2000s, Domino's faces a serious OH SHIT moment. With declining sales and a tarnished reputation, the company embarked on an ambitious journey to reinvent itself. But the path they chose was unexpected. Conventional wisdom says to focus on the product. Instead, they focused on the experience. Here's why Domino's decision to rebrand as a tech company that sells pizza was the divergent move that made them a market maker. → A different way of ordering: Their Dominos Tracker experience is studied by MBAs all over the world. It wasn't just about tracking but building trust and engagement with customers. Supply chains all over the world study and copy them. → Anyware ordering with early platform investment. They made it easy to order from any device or platform. When you exist where your customers are, you become the choice. → Truth sells. Lean into it. When they publicly admitted their pizza wasn't the best and highlighted honest customer feedback it increased sales. → Always striving for better. Their Innovation Garage was a commitment to continuous improvement and tech advancement. From testing autonomous delivery vehicles to AI-powered voice ordering systems, they disrupted the crowded category. ____ If you can't differentiate on product, force yourself to differentiate on experience. Their pizza wasn't better, but everything else was. ____ → CX obsession solved real customer pain points and drove increased NPS, leading to increased sales velocity → Brand as a differentiator. Pizza is a super crowded category. They used tech and data to stand out, and that bet paid off. *** Enjoyed this? Share it with your network, and follow me Pete Sena for more in the future.