Capabilities

There is no aspect of marketing more important than Brand Positioning.  Certainly, Brand Name and Brand Image are critical, but it is positioning that gives meaning and orients the Brand in the competitive set for consumers.  It is helpful to discover and understand positioning by means of multivariate analysis and mapping consumer perception.  Cultural ethnography is also a useful technique.

Food is the largest and most omnipresent of all consumer products.  It is the category with which all consumers have the most regular and frequent engagement.  The sustenance and pleasure provided by food are almost universal, and the endless variety of types of food provide opportunities for discovery every day.  Equally diverse are the sales and consumption formats ... fresh from the garden ... packaged on a shelf ... prepared and served at your table.

Franchising is not the only form of business ownership, but it is a uniquely American one.  In essence, it establishes a relationship of both responsibility and dependence between franchiser and franchisee.  In many cases, it offers a first step of entrepreneurism for first-generation Americans.  I have had the opportunity and privilege to work with large and small franchise systems and have also operated as a franchisee within two systems myself.  I have always admired the dedication and energy brought to a business by franchisees.

People everywhere, from all walks of life, eat food every day.  Not only has America been the source of new food and retail formats for international expansion, this country has also been the recipient of indigenous foods from around with World.  The law of the marketplace is always at work to discover new segments and satisfy their needs.  Behind the wide variety of food and beverage products on which I have worked, there is a complete spectrum of demographic and ethnic groups.  As a corollary to this, my belief is that diversity within organizations fosters both understanding and creativity.

While I have had experience with both startup concepts (e.g., Fazoli's) and the introduction of new products, most of my business experience is with large multi-national companies.  As early as 1979, I was directly engaged in global markets on six continents with Sara Lee International.  Over the years, with large franchise systems, I have been directly involved with development of franchisees and licensees in foreign countries.

Without deliberately seeking opportunities to work with founders, it seems that they have often been present in companies that I've joined.  Deliberately engaging founders (even when they were emeritus) and understanding their entrepreneurial approach has provided me the insights not only to understand founding principles, but also to bring new energy to a legacy concept.  I have worked directly with over twelve legendary founders and had the distinct privilege to learn their secrets to success.

As any marketer knows, marketing messages are usually multidimensional.  That is, they combine words, sounds, and visuals to communicate and persuade.  In my experience, the importance of design, from graphics to fonts, is often the most powerful element.  Design is a powerful tool in facility, merchandising, packaging, and advertising.

I started my career in the advertising business and worked for three legendary agencies: Ogilvy & Mather, Needham, Harper & Steers, and J. Walter Thompson.  In later years, I believe this experience enabled me to be a more effective client to the many agencies with whom I have worked.  I have also participated in many agency reviews.  In addition, I have been the executive producer of concept documentary films/videos in three different companies, one of which was used in an IPO road show.

In the 1990s, with the advent of the World Wide Web, and in the 2000s, with the acceleration of social media, the platforms for marketing and advertising expanded dramatically.  Now, mobile devices are changing consumer behavior even more.  At each stage of innovation, I have been an early adopter and implemented innovative marketing programs to leverage new technology.  One of my pro bono cases was piloting the first online learning program by Yale in 2000 ("On the Digital Road to Canterbury").

Ever since private equity firms began to purchase chain restaurant businesses in the 1980s, I have worked closely with them at the board level.  Working with seven different private equity firms, I have experienced the full gamut:  the acquisition stage, the business optimization stage, and the divestiture or public offering stage.  In other instances, I have been engaged to advise private equity firms on potential acquisitions.

At the heart of every chain restaurant business are its menu and product offerings.  In all my CMO duties, I have been responsible for directing product development and menu composition.  This has involved working with product development chefs (among them, three Master Chefs) and understanding test kitchen dynamics.  I have also worked with major food and beverage suppliers in product development and procurement.

Any CMO knows that there are many key vendors involved with a chain restaurant marketing program.  They include: major food and beverage suppliers, promotion and packaging developers, media outlets, and more recently digital technology and software analytics.  In this regard, I benefited from my early years at Ogilvy, where I was in media planning and buying, and later at Sara Lee, where I was on the selling side of the procurement equation.

Large annual national conventions and more frequent regional meetings are common occurrences with franchised concepts.  Two-way, face-to-face communication is important.  These annual meetings are often attended by over a thousand people.  Franchisees look to Marketing and Product Development for new plans and new products, so these topics are usually the most visible part of the convention program.  I have been a featured speaker in over thirty of these programs.  This has involved a knowledge of stage management, which benefitted from my role as Board Chairman of David Mamet's first regional theater.  In addition, I have chaired and presented a program at the Chain Operators Exchange (COEX) for executives and franchisees from around the world.  On a pro bono basis, I chaired and presented at a national assembly of Yale alumni on "Athletics at Yale."

Anyone involved with chain restaurant marketing knows it is highly promotion driven, utilizing special pricing and new products to generate awareness and trial.  My experience has also included special types of audience segmented promotions, like kids marketing, major sports tie-ins, game tie-ins, and movie tie-ins.

I was raised in a family that emphasized the importance of community and social responsibility.  I was involved in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and later in Women's Rights, especially Title IX.  Early childhood development and education have also been personal commitments.  Currently, my most active pro bono work is for environmental sustainability.  I have leveraged the leadership and resources of Yale University to advance this cause, a program recognized with an award from the University.