McDonald’s and The Marketing Store present at ANA Brand Activation & Creativity

Jami Guthrie, VP of Customer Insights at McDonald’s, and Tania Wendt, SVP of Engagement & Strategy at The Marketing Store, took the stage at ANA’s Brand Activation & Creativity hybrid conference in Chicago, IL after a year of virtual-only presentations.

In their session “Redefining the Retail Experience,” Guthrie and Wendt shared how leaning into consumer insights and paying close attention to consumer behavior has allowed them to transform creative ideas into real actions at McDonald’s retail locations. They took the audience along the customer journey, using the drive through experience to highlight all the touchpoints along the way that marry innovation and creativity. 

Check out the key takeaways from their session:

+ Science, like the study of consumer behavior, can and should fuel the strategy and creativity that ultimately inspires customers to think, feel, and do.

+ To influence consumer behavior, it’s important to understand:

1.     The context in which a decision is made, including who, what, where, when, how, why

2.     Whether the decision involves a system 1 (intuition and instinct) or system 2 (rational thinking) brain response

+ Great, aspirational customer experiences should:

+ Offer curated choices

+ Build affinity with the brand

+ Allow customers to engage their way

+ Increase satisfaction

+ Optimize business operations which enable all other aspirations

+ During a retail experience, each effective touchpoint along the customer journey should deliver the right message in the right place at the right time.