CONSUMER MARKETING
CMOQ&A So Far, So Good!
Two years into change at Pizza Inn, things are looking up BY KERRY PIPES
D
enise Pedini came to Pizza Inn in 2016 with the experience, knowledge, and consumer marketing savvy needed to guide the 60-year-old company’s rebranding campaign. She first came in contact with Pizza Inn working on the agency side, later becoming its associate brand manager and then its advertising brand manager. She also had spent time as a private marketing consultant, and at JCPenney. Earlier in her career, she spent 4 years at Pizza Hut in brand management. Today, as Pizza Inn’s executive vice president of marketing, she is playing a major role in the brand’s renewed vitality. In the past two years, the brand has hired an advertising agency to help rebrand Pizza Inn. They’ve also replaced numerous vendors and suppliers and made adjustments to how marketing dollars are spent. The moves were based on strategy, as well as on cost and capabilities. “We have added new technology in the last two years, which has benefited us as whole,” she says. “These efficiencies and new innovations have been key to our sales success in the last five quarters.” Pedini understands that her role as Pizza Inn’s marketing leader involves understanding customer demand, building relationships and working with franchisees, and balancing corporate expectations. “Marketing leaders must manage based on data, knowledge, and previous experience,” she says. “To provide recommendations or lead your team to execute a different approach, you have to test and provide proof of how the idea will work.” The proof, she says, is in the pie. Describe your role as CMO: I’m in a unique situation as we are 100 percent franchised with no corporate locations. I report to both the president and the franchise board. Although this setup has its challenges, it is great to have that close relationship with both. I’ve been able to
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wants and needs of your franchisees in balance with what corporate deems most crucial to the system as a whole. Marketing leaders must manage based on data, knowledge, and previous experience, rather than on hunches. How do you prepare a marketing plan and execute the strategies? I first review all of the data, what our sales trends have been in the past, and see what our competition is doing. We have some great menu innovations in our back pocket that we haven’t used recently. We like to bring these back to our buffet and to add variety for our customers. This has been really effective.
balance both sides and all views of ideas, generating great compromise and growth. What’s the most challenging part of being a CMO today? With any company that’s been around 60 years, and with many franchisees a part of the company almost as long, it’s sometimes a challenge persuading them to take risks and make changes. However, working with the franchise marketing board over the last two years has helped bring new ideas to the table that have contributed to our five straight quarters of positive same store sales growth. What are the most important keys to being an effective CMO leader today? With franchisees, the most important key is trust. It’s important to understand their needs and how to create marketing strategies that bring them success. Gaining and maintaining trust in your abilities to lead them in the right direction is essential. Another key is the ability to listen to the
How do you measure marketing results and effectiveness? We look at our sales numbers, traffic data, and feedback received from our key franchisees. We also weigh feedback from our customers. We have some loyal Facebook followers who always let us know if we are promoting their favorites on the buffet. They also let us know if we have removed something they want back. Discuss your core consumer marketing strategies and objectives. Last year, we conducted extensive marketing research. We did both quantitative and qualitative studies with our most loyal customers. Their message was consistent: focus on the buffet, give us more options, and make the buffet available all day. How do you go about creating a “customer-centric” marketing and brand philosophy? When I came on board two years ago, we hired an advertising agency, Johnson & Sekin, to rebrand Pizza Inn. The direction we gave the agency was to ensure that our customers know we are a part of their community, and that we not only care for them as customers but also as part of our family. This is where our