Under the heading "Influencing business decisions", the BVM met in the capital this year. A full program that revolved around the question of whether market research in companies has the importance it needs to influence major corporate decisions. From my point of view, this cannot be a question. Of course market research influences. In fact, market research MUST influence. Why else would you invest in it? Jan Hertzberg and I were able to show how - despite a power cut and sometimes without any technology - using the example of the major MAREDO relaunch. Take heart, dear market researchers, the wind is blowing a little colder at decision-maker level, but you are also closer to the sun.
MAREDO - with 50 steakhouses one of the largest brands in the full-service system catering sector in Germany - faced new challenges: more differentiated eating habits and tougher competition, with new system catering offerings, premium steakhouses and high-quality burger restaurants vying for customers.
Against this backdrop, MAREDO set itself the goal of further developing its own brand and the restaurant experience in order to respond to the profoundly changed market situation. To this end, MAREDO and Creative Advantage developed a new brand strategy in a research-driven process. This forms the basis for the comprehensive further development of the customer experience at all touchpoints.
The methodological focus of the research process was qualitative in order to create a real understanding of the market and customers by generating "thick data". Throughout the exploration process, a cross-functional management team from MAREDO was actively involved to gain first-hand customer opinions.
Using the identified customer, brand and market insights as a basis, Creative Advantage developed several strategic decision-making tools: In addition to defining a new communication target group, the core result of the consulting process was a new brand positioning as a mission statement with a strong orientation function for guests and employees. The positioning was also translated into a series of cross-functional and cross-hierarchical principles of action - "non-negotiables" - which act as an interface between brand strategy and operational implementation at all touchpoints.
Based on this well-founded decision, extensive measures were developed in the marketing mix, including a new logo, a revised menu, an out-of-home advertising campaign and the extensive conversion of the Berlin location on Gendarmenmarkt into a flagship restaurant. On April 12, the grand opening was celebrated there with special guests from The BossHoss. The impressions of this evening in the video:
Overall, the collaboration demonstrates the effectiveness of a combination of strong market orientation, strategic consulting and intensive management involvement in order to "influence business decisions" in line with the congress motto.
A complete review of the congress can be found on the BVM website.
Picture credits / Copyright: BVM / Frank Hempel
