• by Barbie Romero , 11 hours ago

At our QSR Brand Insider Summit in Santa Barbara, leaders from McDonalds, Daily Queen, Smoothie King, KFC, and CAVA shared how they are tapping into fan insights, getting back to brand purpose, balancing bold creativity, and driving personalized engagement.

Catch the best moments from the on-stage discussions below.

Watch the full session recordings here!

Deanna Moreno Hernandez, Field Marketing Officer at McDonald's, described how her team sells marketing programs to franchisees and creates the communication tools that help restaurant staff understand and prepare for upcoming initiatives.

Maria Hokanson, EVP, Marketing at Dairy Queen, discussed how the brand is creating space to be more responsive to cultural moments, as well as the launch of its new Crunchin’ Cookie Dipped Cone which was driven by fans.

Claudia Schaefer, CMO at Smoothie King, spoke about the importance of defining a clear vision statement and goals, ensuring every idea ladders up to their mission of making the world a healthier and better place.

Tori Carter, Director, Integrated Marketing Communications - KFC at Yum! Brands, highlighted the value of listening closely to fan comments on social and noted the challenge QSR brands face in being creatively bold while still driving sales.

Courtney Kociemba, Senior Director of Customer Strategy and Lifecycle Marketing at CAVA, shared how the brand is exploring out-of-the-box ways to encourage customers to open their app more often, leveraging multiple channels and personalization to deliver meaningful value.

If you’re interested in submitting content for future editions, please reach out to our Managing Editor, Barbie Romero at Barbie@MediaPost.com.