New In-Store Marketing System Improves Fast Food Chain's Bottom Line | QSR

12/16/2021 RRD

Individualized marketing materials replace “one size fits all” approach across 6,500 locations

CHALLENGE

With more than 6,500 restaurants worldwide, this chain of fast food restaurants must balance its centralized marketing programs with the unique needs of its individual restaurants and franchisees. Menu items, merchandising, and promotions vary from location to location. Every printed item you might find at a restaurant, from backlit, front-lit, and drive-thru menu boards to tray liners, cups, wrappers, and promotional materials, can require individualization.

The problem? The franchise’s printing partner was sending the same materials to each restaurant. Franchisees were using only the materials they needed while tossing the rest or by displaying the merchandising inaccurately. More than 20% of the company’s annual marketing budget was literally ending up in the garbage. 

With its sprawling geographic footprint, this fast food giant also faced significant production and logistics challenges. Getting materials to locations on time and within budget was a struggle.

SOLUTION

The group decided to partner with RRD to leverage a unique combination of capabilities and expertise for improved outcomes and bottom-line results. Instead of using the previous “one-size-fits-all” approach, RRD and the client collaborated to create marketing materials for each individual location. 

Using proprietary in-store marketing (ISM) system software, RRD created database profiles for each restaurant and its unique characteristics. In turn, they could efficiently customize content and format per location. They could also maintain real-time profiles of restaurants everywhere, providing total transparency on which marketing materials and products needed to be shipped and when.

RRD also provided the client with a centralized, on-site marketing team to handle projects and other personnel resources that would otherwise be too cost-prohibitive.

RESULTS

RRD’s ISM system yielded a much more appetizing bottom line. The fast food company:

• Reduced costs by more than 20% by eliminating the waste associated with shipping unneeded materials.
• Reduced border costs by 42% by leveraging RRD’s local printing facilities and logistics capabilities in Canada.
• Received materials an average of three days faster due to streamlined processes and a dedicated RRD team.