Michael Keller

Chief Brand Officer American Dairy Queen

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Everything Communicates!

Building A Brand By Delivering the Promise Through Its Consumer Touch Points

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Brand Building 101

Brand Equity

Trust
Making the Promise Delivering the Promise

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What Is A Touch Point?

Any Contact Point Between A Customer And A Brand

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Everything Communicates?

Yes, Whether We Like It or Not, Or Whether Customers Realize it Or Not.

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Everything Communicates
Key Implication Brand building extends way beyond Marketing. In some cases, Marketing might be one of the least important ways to build a brand Or Maybe Marketing really includes all company activities/functions that impact the brand and consumer in any way

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Think Beyond

Beyond

Beyond

Product

Service

To the

Experience
a Customer Has With All of a Brands Touch Points
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Putting It All Together

Through all of a brands touch points, the product and the consumers experience with it, must deliver on the brand promise to ensure the desired emotional connection is made with a customer. Whos job is this? Each function that owns a touch point. Who should oversee/lead this? Brand ChampionsMarketers
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A Little Happy DQ History

A 66 year old brand with 5,500 units over 4,000 franchisees and $2.5 billion in sales Born from a remarkable epiphany/invention Began franchising before franchising was born Became synonymous with treats and a/healthy nutritious, happy America Acquired by Warren Buffet in 1998 Today enjoys universal brand awareness Most importantly, the brand obtains a strong, emotion-filled responsea smile and a story

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A Little Scary DQ History

A highly fragmented food system with low food awareness and credibility An old, tired, diverse retail asset base (locations, facilities, operations)

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Flat Top

A Little Scary DQ History

A highly fragmented food system with low food awareness and credibility An old, tired retail asset base (locations, facilities, operations) A multi-decade period of stagnation A high-level of mistrust and animosity between franchisee and franchisor A rapidly shifting and increasingly competitive landscape A brand shaking on the edge of irrelevance
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A New Approach: Corporate/Enterprise

New CEO New vision and business goals including a focus on becoming a food player New strategy-driven structure New outside talent hired, internal talent promoted New business units and department plans New trust-building posture with franchisees

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DQ Brand Touch Points

Brand Experience
Product/Menu Product Quality Advertising

Speed of Svc.

Locations

Customer Svc. Facility (Int.)

Facility (Ext.)

DQ Brand Positioning

A Smile and a Story

Everywhere we go, we always get a smile and a story There is rare/powerful emotion for the DQ brand This is the essence of who we are, its what makes us Something Different Beyond products, advertising, store design, operations and customer service, this may be our true long term strategic advantage, but only if we recognize it, take care of it and build it in everything we do, every day, in every store, with every customer
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Workin the Wheel

DQ Brand Touch Point
Locations Exterior Interior Customer Service Speed Of Service Product Quality Menu/Product Advertising
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Strategy/Action
Strategic Development Modernization Modernization Operations Road Map Operations Road Map Operations Road Map Innovation Funnel Re-Positioning the Brand

A New Approach: Brand Team

New strategy demanded new structure which required new talent Defined and began leveraging and executing against new brand identity and positioning Challenged and elevated every key element of the Marketing Mix:

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Menu/Product Strategy Calendar Strategy Advertising: Creative and Media Strategy Promotion Strategy Merchandising Strategy PR Strategy

Restructured/Re-focused franchisee leadership

Creative Reel Highlights

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Some Business Results

25 consecutive months of comp sales growth: July 03 to July 05 33 of the last 36 months of comp growth Leading national QSR in 2004 in comp sales growth (beat McDs and SBUX) Award winning advertising AUVs up 25% 05 v. 01 Ad Funds at highest levels Franchisee profitability at highest levels Franchisee Investment beginning to occur
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Thats The DQ Story, How Can You Teach It?

What is a given brands promise? What are its touch points? Is it delivering on its promise through all of them or are there plans to do so? Is there functional alignment between teams that touch the consumer and in turn shape the brand? Is the company/team structured the right way? If yes, does it have the right talent in the structure to achieve its goals? What is the brand champion doing to provide the leadership necessary to build and protect the brand through all of its touch points?
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Thank You!

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