McDonald’s Dress for Success is Looking A Customer Ahead

Food Marketing that is successful, edifies the relationship of the brand with consumers in obvious ways adding relevance to the brands invitation according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Looking a customer ahead by extending that brands invitation is a great way to make sure that you are winning the battler for “Share of Stomach”.  Now McDonalds online shop features more than 20 items from holiday sweaters and ornaments to French fry-themed accessories all intended to keep the brand top of mind with consumers while extending its invitation to consumers.

For the first time McDonalds has created a shoppable line of apparel and accessories available year-round in the U.S. on the chain’s website. The themed merchandise features more than 20 items centering on the quick service brand’s most popular menu items: burgers and fries.

The McDonalds collection is only available on the fast food giant’s website and is not in collaboration with any outside companies, a departure from the company’s previous forays with fashion brands and retailers.

The new line of clothing ranges in price from $15-$65 and accessories range from $10-$25. Some of the items include tote bags emblazoned with French fries, burger and Happy Meal pins, hamburger notebooks, holiday sweaters, ornaments and T-shirts.

So, the merchandise features the company’s iconic bright yellow and red graphics, unmistakable for any other brand, and even feature some international phrases for worldwide McDonald’s fans. The online shop, dubbed Golden Arches Unlimited, will rotate with each season and restock throughout the year. Currently, the winter line has beanies, sweatshirts and sweaters for sale.

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Battle for Share of Stomach

Hardee’s Expanded Marketing Hits Home

Success does leave clues and when it comes to chain restaurant marketing the team driving Hardee’s has picked up all the right clues according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  

When Hardee’s announced a partnership with Tipsy Elves, an original line of limited-edition ski suits, timed to the launch of the new 100 percent Angus Thickburger Melts the interactive participatory undercurrents of success were clear according to Johnson.

The  ski suits are now available for sale at tipsyelves.com/hardees, the new “Melt Wear” from Hardee’s features the hottest trend this winter—a retro ski suit design—channeling the classic one-piece snow jumper everyone remembers sporting on the slopes. The iconic Hardee’s logo adorns the new winter accessory, making anyone who wears it the talk of the mountain and should be a lot of fun.

Jenna Folk, director of brand marketing, Hardee’s  stated “Hardee’s continues to build on its burger offering with two delicious and melty 100 percent Angus Thickburger Melts, available just in time for the winter months,” … “We are further warming you up from head to toe, with our partnership with trendsetting apparel company, Tipsy Elves, to introduce ‘Melt Wear’ to snow lovers this season.”

While the partnership was inspired by Hardee’s Angus Thickburger MeltsMelts, what is driving food sales success today is retail partnerships even in the chain restaurant sector according to Johnson. 

Today, new partnerships can drive sales in foodservice today as your brand is searching for the new electricity to help drive the brand forward. So, just what is your brands new electricity? According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, beer, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, Fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  Are you ready to expand your brands reach?

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.

Foodservice Marketing Partnerships Drive Success at Sprite, Shake Shack, McDonald’s

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson in January 2018 announced that strategic partnerships would be the undercurrent of a new electricity driving foodservice top line growth and bottom-line profits moving forward.   Well here is another example McDonalds and Shake Shack partner with Joe Freshgoods and Allbirds to release limited edition mashup merchandise.

According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, urban clothing, grocerant consultants, urban farming (produce, seafood, etc.), autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, cash-less payments, digital hand held marketing. This program has all of that.

Foodservice retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  That will require brands to embrace new fresh food partnerships more now than ever before according to Johnson.

Retailers understand that as brands release new products, one of the lessons they are learning is that partnering with another popular brand can help build the excitement. Two recent promotions featured seemingly odd partnerships in which fast food met fashion. In the first of these brand collabs, the popular burger chain Shake Shack teamed up with San Francisco shoe maker Allbirds.

The new electricity Allbirds provided was an exclusive shoe in white wool with green laces, featuring the Shake Shack logo on the tongue. The shoe is only available for purchase at Shake Shack’s original Madison Square Park location in Manhattan. Shake Shack will also be serving its new Hokey Pokey Shake to celebrate the collaboration.

The new electricity  Sprite and McDonald’s created was partnering with streetwear designer Joe Freshgoods to promote the fast food chain’s new exclusive Sprite flavor, the Mix. The fashionable clothing line will be available only at a select few McDonald’s locations. Spotify is also getting in on the fun with an exclusive track by rapper KYLE.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.