Ep. 18 – Cracking the Consumer Code: Lessons from Applebee’s.

Today, Ellie sits down with Jill Marchick, a veteran insights leader at Applebee’s. From navigating post-pandemic shifts in dining behavior to leveraging cutting-edge technology in research, Jill shares invaluable wisdom from her extensive career, spanning roles at iconic brands like Starbucks and McDonald’s. She offers fascinating perspectives on how casual dining is adapting to changing consumer expectations, the role of AI in research, and the delicate balance between innovation and maintaining brand identity.

Transcript

00:10
Ellie Tehrani
Now, we know that every industry faces the same challenges of understanding what drives consumers of today. And we’re very excited to be speaking to a leader such as yourself on this topic. So without further ado, let’s start right at the beginning of your journey. What initially sparked your interest in consumer insights?

00:35
Jill Marchick
Well, I would say it’s interesting. When I was in college at the University of California in San Diego, I was very involved in politics. And I thought, I’m going to go into politics. And then I saw some things and I was like, you know what? I’m going to do something else. I had an internship in public relations, and I decided, you know what? I’m going to go into advertising. Somebody suggested it. And at the time I was living, going to move to Los Angeles, and I targeted Ogilvy and Mather. The only job that they had open at the time was an assistant in the planning and research group. And I fell into it. And I am so happy I did because I feel like that was my path, that was my journey, and it was the place for me to be.

01:22
Jill Marchick
And then I fine tuned my skills taking classes at UCLA at night and just really learned on the job. It was a great foundation to start off my career in advertising.

01:32
Ellie Tehrani
Wonderful. I think that you hear that quite a lot in this industry, don’t you, that people sort of fell into it. And it’s also interesting how many people become very quickly passionate about the industry. So could you talk us a little bit about that in terms of what sparks your key passion? Was it the consumer space? Was it understanding their challenges? Was it supporting corporations? Tell us a bit more about that.

02:00
Jill Marchick
Well, I enjoy. I think Insights has turned into puzzle pieces, and that puzzle pieces keep changing. You know, you feel like you have it, and then everything changes again. When I started off Insights, it was really about, you know, trends took long time to change. And the one positive. I always say there’s one positive that came out of the pandemic, and that is things change so fast, which makes it so exciting. I am hugely curious. I love to read people understand consumer behavior. My favorite thing to do is to, you know, sit in an Applebee’s and just watch our guests. And that’s where you learn the most. You don’t learn by just looking at reading data. You have to observe. And observation is a key part of what I enjoy most in the Insights world. And that’s what I.

02:50
Jill Marchick
That’s why I’m still passionate about what I do. I’ve worked at a lot of different companies, but at the End of the day, what my passion is understanding guest behavior and translating that into business performance. If you have an insight without any sales, then that’s not possible. Right, Exactly.

03:08
Ellie Tehrani
And we’re going to talk about that in a moment. But before that, you mentioned a little bit about the changes that you’ve witnessed in the last year or so after the pandemic. But generally over the span of your insights career, what would you identify as the biggest change you witnessed in the vertical?

03:28
Jill Marchick
Oh, that’s a great question. I mean, I would just say technology has such an influence and I would say, you know, it make. When I think back, it was so funny the other day were in a meeting and nothing was working from a technology standpoint. And I said, are we going to have to go back to acetates? You know, some people probably don’t even know what that is. But you know, I think the technology has really changed things, that things just move faster. I know. And I said before, like when I started off, I mean, it took a long time for anything to shift. You know, you didn’t have to update segmentations to like three to five years.

04:01
Jill Marchick
And now a segmentation, I think if you wanted to do one, you’d have to do it, you know, updated every year because your guest is evolving and what’s pushed it along social media, the pandemic, changing behavior, working from home, everything has shifted. And I don’t think we know where it’s going to net out yet. Are people going back to the office? You know, what does it mean and how does that influence, how does the economy influence it? All those things. And that’s what it again makes it super fun in my job because I get to explore and find solutions.

04:30
Speaker 3
Right.

04:30
Ellie Tehrani
And you identified, Sarah, that, you know, in this economy and in this world we’re, it’s even more important to stay on top of the insights in your industry. But let’s flip that and think about how the industries proceed from an external perspective. How do you think that has changed versus when you first started. Do you believe that corporations appreciate the function more or less than they used to?

04:59
Jill Marchick
I would say more because guests are changing so fast, it becomes even more important. So when I think back in my career and where I’ve worked and where individuals that led the insights department, where they sat, they usually reported into marketing or maybe strategy. At Applebee’s, I report to the president of Applebee’s and where I have a seat at the table, which I think is really important. You don’t want to be heavily Influenced by anybody. You want to have that point of view that’s housing the guest point of view. And that, I think, is the key thing nowadays. And I think it’s even more important when I talk to peers of mine in the industry. Everybody says the same thing, is that you have to have that voice. It’s so critical to have that objective point of view.

05:45
Jill Marchick
You know, you can’t always follow it, but you need to make sure you have that guest viewpoint and you’re expressing it in a way that the marketing teams, the operations teams all understand it.

05:57
Speaker 3
Right.

05:57
Ellie Tehrani
And I want to return to that point later on as well in terms of articulating in various different tones in various different ways, so that different stakeholders appreciate the importance. But let’s go back and reflect on some of the roles that you had earlier in your career. What are some lessons that have stuck with you and shaped your approach to consumer insights today?

06:22
Jill Marchick
You know, when I think back at my. My whole career and where I’ve been, I think I’ve learned something at every single company. And I would say, you know, now at Applebee’s, where I’m working with franchisees, I worked with franchisees when I was at McDonald’s. And I think, you know, the biggest difference that I’ve learned is, you know, then you’ve got a lot of different stakeholders, and you have to make sure you’re communicating to them as well. I would say the difference between Applebee’s and my experience at McDonald’s is that at Applebee’s, we’re very collaborative internally as well with our franchisees. And I think that’s what makes us unique. I always use this look. People always say, what’s the difference between McDonald’s and Applebee’s? And I always say McDonald’s is a dictatorship, and Applebee’s is more socialistic and we can partner together.

07:10
Jill Marchick
And I think that’s one thing I learned the most in understanding the operational side. And I think that’s really important to be a successful insights person. You can’t just understand the consumer behavior. You have to understand the business impact. And I think in my time at McDonald’s is where I really started to solidify that, where I partnered with my business analytics person, and whenever we did a report, we always showed the insight, the consumer’s perspective, but also the impact on the business. And that is what I learned most at McDonald’s as well as when I look back and I would say at Starbucks culture. I traveled to over 30 countries with Starbucks and conducted research in over 40 countries and really began and found my passion in understanding cultural differences while Starbucks was appealing to all around the world. It’s the nuances.

08:05
Jill Marchick
What is the differences between markets? You know, when I went to China for the first time at Starbucks, they had never even, you know, it was still were working on a product, Starbucks via which is instant coffee. Well, in the US when you make it, you tell people to use a microwave. Well, guess what? They don’t have micro back then. They didn’t have microwaves. So those nuances and respect for culture is what I learned most from Starbucks. And with Applebee’s, it’s just all about really understanding the guest. You know, the thing that’s different about Applebee’s is that our franchisees care about what the guest has to think. And everything that we launch has guest feedback. So that’s what you know. And I think that’s a great way to be.

08:48
Jill Marchick
You know, not a lot of companies say they’re guest centric or consumer centric, but we truly believe, we truly love it and breathe it every single day.

08:57
Speaker 3
Right.

08:58
Ellie Tehrani
And thinking specifically on the casual dining industry, you mentioned understanding and sort of observing the consumers and how do you think that dining styles and their consumer behavior has shifted in the last few years in the casual dining?

09:17
Jill Marchick
Well, I think you’ve gone through. Okay, so let’s talk pre pandemic. You know, pre pandemic you started using a little bit of Ubereats and getting off premise and then the pandemic hit and then like everything shifted. Where, you know, your off premise business grew utilizing delivery service providers like the Uber Eats. We had Applebee’s had car side to go. So were ahead of the game and ready to go for that. And you know, it’s only been in the past, you know, I would say year or so that guests are now, you know, obviously coming back and dining in. They want more of an experience. The one thing that we are seeing in our data is that guests today have higher expectations. They sat home for a few years, they’re going out, but they want a better experience and that’s what’s most important to them.

10:06
Jill Marchick
They’re looking at every pre. There’s so much stress out there. Guests today are so stressed out that they come to us because they want to spend time with Applebee’s team members and they just want a break and that’s what’s most important to them. Our guests at Applebee’s, they’ve also shifted since the pandemic. They’ve gotten a little bit Younger. The average guest to Applebee’s is a lower income, about 75,000 a year. So this is their step up occasion. I don’t want to go to a fast food restaurant. I want to have that sit down experience. I want to come and, you know, have a cocktail, enjoy myself. And experiential is coming back again. People want experiences and they want that time because they have limited money and they’re stressed about this and they want a little break in their lives.

10:53
Speaker 3
Right.

10:54
Ellie Tehrani
And that whole value aspect, it’s such a core part of your company’s DNA, I think. Do you believe that this plays as important of a role across the different generations that you serve?

11:07
Jill Marchick
Most definitely. So one of the things that we see, one of the things that’s also changed in the pandemic, is that you have to understand your guests more. So during the pandemic, we did work to understand our guest behavior, and we’re constantly doing it. And the key thing is everybody wants the same thing. They want operational excellence. They want to feel like they’re being valued and feeling special. They want value promotions. They want things that, you know, a good deal that they can, you know, doesn’t break the bank that they have a great experience and great food. And those are the things that our guests are looking for regardless of age. The one thing we are seeing is more families. Families enjoy coming to Applebee’s too.

11:48
Jill Marchick
We have a kids menu, but it’s also like they feel a little grown up by coming in and, you know, maybe having, you know, having time and spending it in our environment. So it’s a reprieve for everybody. A lot of people of the Gen Z grew up with Applebee’s and now are. And millennials are now taking their kids to Applebee’s. So really the needs are the same. We do see that millennials do want even more of an experience because they’re, you know, they have more pressure now because of financial.

12:18
Speaker 3
Right.

12:19
Ellie Tehrani
And I know that Applebee’s have been more appealing lately to the younger generations and talking about striking the right balance between appealing to those newer generations while not alienating your core market, how do you handle that?

12:37
Jill Marchick
You have to understand who your brand is. That’s key. So there are times when we try to test, to see the waters. Like we’ll test different. We do concept testing and new product ideas. So you throw some things out that you know, are a little bit outside the wheelhouse of where your core is. And you’re constantly seeing how far you can push it. But you have to be know who you are. And you have to embrace that, you know, and that is the key thing. You know, people come to us for American comfort food, and you have to understand who your guests are, why are they coming to you, and remind people why they’re coming to you. You know, I always like to tell people you are not our average guest. So you need to listen to what our guests have to say.

13:22
Jill Marchick
And that’s. And the good news is that people do listen, and they really who our core guest is and making sure we’re appealing to them.

13:29
Speaker 3
Right.

13:30
Ellie Tehrani
And in terms of new methods and innovations across Applebee’s, you know, you mentioned technology earlier, and we want to talk about that a bit. But you have your first to go. Applebee’s opening in New York tomorrow, I believe. What role do you predict that fast casual model is going to play in Applebee’s future versus that traditional casual dining?

13:55
Jill Marchick
I think we’re going to get a lot of great learnings, and I think that’s the thing. We’ve done it with pickup windows. We’re doing it with to go. You have to try different things and figure out what works, and you have to test your way there. And the good news is we do believe in testing. So everything that we do goes through testing. And we’ll be observing and watching it, monitoring the sales if that new location is opening up. And if it works, we’ll be expanding it more. And it’s all about learning, making changes, refining and making sure it’s delivering on what our guests need.

14:29
Speaker 3
Right.

14:30
Ellie Tehrani
And returning to that technology aspect, I read somewhere that you are looking at the kitchens of tomorrow to better support the different franchises. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

14:44
Jill Marchick
Yeah. So that is one of the things that we worked on as well is, you know, the kitchens of, you know, a few years ago, you know, how do you optimize? And so we’re constantly looking at new equipment. And in fact, we’ve gone through testing last year of a variety of restaurant equipment and looking at, you know, did it improve, you know, cook times? Did it improve the guest experience? So we’re looking at it from an operational standpoint when we evaluate it, but also a guest input. Is it, you know, at purity or better in terms of the taste of the product by testing out these new equipment?

15:19
Jill Marchick
And that’s the key thing that we always do, is we’re looking at it from the guest lens, the operations lens, and getting feedback from our team members as well in our restaurants to make sure that we’re really delivering and bettering the experience. So this is something we’re constantly looking at and figuring out. How do we optimize not just front of house, but back of house to improve the experience for the guests and improve profitability for our franchisees as well.

15:44
Speaker 3
Right.

15:45
Ellie Tehrani
And what about other aspects of technology to better the experience? In terms of AI, what role does that play in your current products and services?

15:56
Jill Marchick
Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, we’re still, everybody’s trying to figure out what’s the role of AI. I think if anybody said right now this is the future of AI, we don’t really know. I think we’re still in the emphasis stage. I’m a big believer in, you know, you need to, you know, I think from an insight standpoint, utilizing AI to figure out what are the key insights that you’re seeing through. You know, reams and reams of data is great, but you still need that human touch. That human touch, especially in the insights world, is so critical because it’s going to, you know, we, our job is to understand the nuances, tell the story.

16:31
Jill Marchick
AI isn’t going to really understand, you know, what worked in the past or the performance and understanding the texture of things, what can be done in the restaurant and so forth. So I think it’s a combination of you have to be in touch of what’s going on with technology, but you have to also have the softer touches too of having that human side. And I think the two working together is going to be the optimal. But I think what’s really important is keeping up inner skills. I sit on a research forum and I said, you know, how’s everybody using AI? And everybody, you know, is still trying to figure it out. And I think that goes back to the fact that I love to learn and you have it.

17:09
Jill Marchick
To be successful in our industry and the insights industry, you have to have that desire because AI is going to be here to stay. But how do you apply it and how does it make sense for our industry?

17:20
Speaker 3
Right.

17:20
Ellie Tehrani
And it goes back to what you were saying in the beginning, that, you know, it’s all about being curious and it’s all about having the human touch. And one of the things that I love about talking to fellow researchers and leaders insights industry is listening to some of the interesting stories that they’ve come across throughout their careers. And some of them have always been when research studies seem to have been going wrong, but that has led to the most interesting findings and they’ve sort of shifted the model and their Thinking because they learned something new due to a different culture or a different approach that they hadn’t thought of. Do you have any examples like that to share?

18:06
Jill Marchick
That’s a great question. In terms of things going wrong. Things go wrong all the time. And it’s how you pivot. A funny story. And this is I that I just keep coming back to. I, I was just thinking about. I’m in because were talking about Tokyo. So I was in Tokyo and it was unseasonably cold and were doing a Frappuccino central location test. Okay. So for those of you who have not worked in Tokyo, it, you know, people are, you know, they were going to be cold, there was not enough heat in the location and you’re drinking a cold beverage and they did not want to do it. So I walked in and you. Did you do central location tests on the weekends in Tokyo? So we, I was like, we don’t need. We need heat.

18:53
Jill Marchick
So went to, I can’t even remember, like a Walmart type of store, bought all these heaters to warm people up so they could get into the mindset that it’s okay to have a cold drink when it’s unseasonably cold in Tokyo. Group plans for this. And were able to have a great central location and results and get good findings. So it’s all about. Things are always going to go wrong when you’re fielding, but it’s how you handle it and how you improvise. I wouldn’t say like we got a great insight, but we’ve really found a solution for something that was quite problematic. Another one that went not wrong. But one of the things also going back to a Starbucks example is one of the things that we wanted to uncover is why is Dunkin Donuts outperforming Starbucks in terms of fruit coffee?

19:39
Jill Marchick
And that’s where the insight for Blonde came up because of the Charbucks taste. And so that was developed based on the inside of what’s a more approachable coffee. So it’s also what I always find is like, what are you trying to solve? What’s the problem? And then let’s come up with some hypotheses of why. And that’s where insights can come into play. So tying it back to Applebee’s, one of the things with the pandemic and, you know, the economic crisis, we’re all under it was, you know, how do we make things more affordable? And so one of the things that we’ve been doing is a lot of pricing studies to Understand when we think about like, think about all you can eat boneless wings in 2022, we want it.

20:21
Jill Marchick
We were looking at launching that again, it had been a while since we’d done it. But let’s do, let’s figure out what’s the right pricing to motivate our guests so what will drive traffic? And so we did extensive pricing study on this in a variety of other products and what we found is $12.99 was the magic price point. That came from our pricing analysis and marketing and the franchisees agreed to that 1299 price point. And in 2022 that was a very successful promotion for Applebee’s. So it’s all about, you know, utilizing you coming in with a hypothesis. We knew we wanted to do something, but what is the right price point to do it at? And those are the solutioning Because I always ask whoever I’m doing research for, what are your questions, what is your hypothesis?

21:09
Jill Marchick
And then let’s build off of that to find the right solution.

21:13
Ellie Tehrani
Yes, I love that sort of reverse engineering model and wish that more clients and researchers thought about that before they went head deep and into their research study and found out too late that they’re not working towards the objective. Let’s talk about what we touched upon earlier in terms of how to get buy in from various different stakeholders. In your experience, what’s the key to developing actionable insights that marketing and product teams will embrace?

21:46
Jill Marchick
Taking them on the journey, I think that’s the key. You have to show what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and then making them involved in the process. It’s not like going over minutia of the survey, but it’s like going over like what are you trying to solve for? It’s having that initial conversation, taking them through and saying how you’re going to test it, taking them through the results. And I also at times, if something’s really controversial, I’ll do one off meetings where I go, okay, let’s go through this together to make sure you understand and walk them through it so they understand the why we’re doing it, why we’re seeing the results. And then I always like to end every project in a report with thought starters. Here’s what we’re seeing from the data and let’s have a deep conversation on that.

22:32
Jill Marchick
And belge from there. I always tell my team, you can’t just send out just data, you have to always put in analysis. What are you thinking? How is this going to impact operations? How is this going to impact marketing? How is this going to impact franchisees? Thinking about all those things and putting them into the starters and recommendations, but then have a dialogue on it. It shouldn’t be. I’m always like this is the point of view based on what we’re seeing, but let’s have a conversation. Because people may know other things as well, but it’s all about being collaborative. And I think you have to have that mindset of being collaborative. But I think also the key is understanding the business. Not just understanding the numbers, but understanding the bigger picture and understanding how it impacts your overall business.

23:15
Speaker 3
Right.

23:16
Ellie Tehrani
And that sort of answers my question on challenges that insights professionals might face when looking to increase their influence within their organization. You mentioned earlier about having a seat at the table and collaborating. Is there anything else that they can do as an insight professional to overcome challenges of that?

23:36
Jill Marchick
I think the key thing is to understand the business, to prove out that you understand the business. And I think then you will, you know, then you’ll get, definitely get a seat at the table. But if you just come in with the research point of view and not understand how that impacts all aspects of the business, then you can’t succeed. So that’s really the key. And I think a lot of that’s kind of new in the research world is understanding everything. And I think the top researchers I work with are able to do that is to bring in all other elements and understanding that and how it impacts everybody and not being. I always like to say researchers should not be isolationists. We have to really understand the full viewpoint and worldview of the results.

24:16
Speaker 3
Right.

24:18
Ellie Tehrani
And researchers, as you mentioned, they’re often curious and they’re good storytellers and they need to understand various different aspects of the business to better support and get buy in. But if you were to say the key skill set that an insight professional should have today and moving forward, what would you say that is?

24:39
Jill Marchick
I mean, I think somebody who’s curiosity, I go back to curiosity. If you are not curious and have a passion for consumer understanding, I think it’s hard to be a successful consumer researcher and you have to really, you know, I think the best research people I’ve ever worked with are just passionate people. They really are trying to dig and like it goes back to what I was talking about, putting that the pieces of the puzzle together. You have to always be looking and trying different things and be nimble. If you’re not doing the answer you like, then try again because maybe you’re not answering the questions correctly and making sure that you really understand the language of your guest. Many times, you know, I’ll read surveys and I’m like, this isn’t even in guest language. What guest speaks like this.

25:25
Jill Marchick
This is not normal language. And it’s like taking your. You are not the consumer. You have to make sure you have to be for the, you know, you have to take that mindset off. You have to remember that they’re unique. You could have some, a lot of similarities, but you have to really understand who your guest is, who your consumer is, and talk in their language and make sure you’re understanding that even when writing a questionnaire. And that’s really key to success, is really understanding your guests, being curious and questioning things and constantly learning. Learning today is more important than ever. Especially as you were discussing earlier about AI. If you don’t keep up with what’s going on, how are you going to be a good insights professional and really understand the picture? Because methodologies are changing.

26:10
Jill Marchick
The methodologies that I think about that I used when I first started off are antiquated. Now a lot of the suppliers are antiquated. And it’s important. You have to question everything now. Is it worth it? Am I getting the insights that I need? And if you’re not, move on.

26:26
Speaker 3
Right.

26:27
Ellie Tehrani
That’s very good points. And I think what you touched upon in terms of what role insights play, also in terms of the responsibility that we have as professionals towards the consumers and considering their needs and understanding them better before we start implementing new products and services. But there’s an element of all of this that I think has been top of mind quite a bit lately, and that’s around ethics and privacy. In terms of considerations around ethics and privacy at Applebee specifically, how do you handle these topics?

27:06
Jill Marchick
Well, it’s a key topic and I think everybody has to be very aware of it and we’re very cautious on that. We get legal. Illegal is very involved in everything we do. We making sure like we have Club Applebee’s which guests sign up for and if we do a survey with them, you know, they have to opt in. And you just have to make sure that you’re following, you know, the procedures that the legality has and that’s even changing to both privacy policies and so forth. So I think it’s the one key thing I’ve always learned, and I’ve learned this early in my career, is you have to have a good partnership with your legal team and making sure you’re doing the right things and making sure they’re signing off and you’re understanding.

27:45
Jill Marchick
And it’s better to be conservative in this area than not to make sure you’re not crossing any boundaries.

27:50
Ellie Tehrani
Absolutely. Do you believe the average consumer understand how their data is collected and used?

27:59
Jill Marchick
Do I? No, I don’t. I question, you know, even like every time you’re using your iPhone or you’re Googling something, they’re tracking you. I don’t know. Does everybody know that everything’s being tracked all the time? Probably not. Probably. Somewhat. But, you know, it’s the way, you know, what’s the future? That’s where people are so afraid of AI, like, what is that going to turn into and how much are they going to know about me and so forth. And I think you just have to kind of embrace it and hope that, you know, good triumphs bad. And so you have to disrespect that. And hopefully there’s regulations that will keep up with what’s going on. So everybody has privacy. I mean, we all worry about it, right? I mean, how many data breaches has everybody had? So it’s just really important to just respect that.

28:44
Jill Marchick
And I think hopefully everything will better because of that.

28:49
Speaker 3
Right.

28:49
Ellie Tehrani
And as you mentioned, it’s a responsibility that brands have that researchers have to be more transparent. But how do you balance business objectives with protecting individuals data privacy when you’re designing new research initiatives?

29:05
Jill Marchick
Well, in terms of like say you’re doing a study and you’re trying to, you know, you’re utilizing, say you’re doing a qualitative or quantitative project and you’re working with a supplier, you know, you don’t know data and you know, you’re keeping it anonymous. You’re not utilizing people’s first and last, you know, last names. You’re keeping it very clean. So you’re not putting anybody at risk. One of the things that we do a lot of is in depth qualitative and the way we do in depth qualitative. I’m not a big believer in focus groups. I think that’s antiquated type of methodology because who wants to sit in a room with eight to 10 people? That’s like a sterile environment, like going to the hospital, but is through mobile ethnography. And there people are opting in.

29:48
Jill Marchick
You’re making sure that all the legality is there and because you are getting a little bit more personal information out of them. So it is important that you understand that and respect that and the respondent understands how they’re being used as well.

30:02
Speaker 3
Right.

30:03
Ellie Tehrani
And if you were to look ahead, you may mention some antiquated methodologies. Where do you see the biggest sort of, or where do you get your excitement from in terms of the industry as a whole? Are there any particular methodologies or technologies that you think are going to play a key role? Besides, you talked about AI a little bit, but is there anything in specific that you’re using quite a bit and that you’re excited about using more?

30:31
Jill Marchick
Well, I would say the mobile ethnography that I was referring to, we work with a company called look, and to me that’s been game changing. I’ve used them for quite a few years and I brought them to Applebee’s as well because it really gives you a good understanding, in depth understanding of your guest. Even with a smaller base size, there’s so many different data points because you’re following people for about a week’s period of time and really understanding their life, which is so important to understand that and to be able to do that more frequently. It’s more cost efficient than to doing, you know, large scale una or segmentation. But to really get a handle on what’s going on with your guests, I would say the one thing, you know, token data is also very intriguing in terms of understanding how people are spending.

31:16
Jill Marchick
We have a relationship with a very large credit card company now, so getting data from them, obviously no ppi. So really understanding where our guests are spending besides at Applebee’s, but where else they’re going, how, what’s their propensity to spend and how are we performing versus competitive sets. So I think that’s really important. So those are the types of things I’m always pursuing new methodologies. So the one common things I go to my network of friends in the industry and go, who do you what vendors are using, what new methodologies? And I think it’s important to really stay close to that, to see who’s new and who’s out there and what’s. What’s happening in that area? Because I do think every methodology gets stale and it’s important to evolve over time.

32:04
Speaker 3
Right.

32:05
Ellie Tehrani
So we talked about methodologies and one of the downfalls of that and in terms of moving, for instance, from traditional focus groups to online groups, is you’re risking losing some audiences that might not utilize particular equipment, particular technologies and so forth. So do you fear losing out on diversity in terms of age groups, in terms of different ethnic minorities, in terms of reaching the overall sort of sample size of what America today looks like? And how do you handle those challenges?

32:42
Jill Marchick
That’s a great question, because that was one question when I started working with, look, that people said, you know, oh, this isn’t going to have anybody over, you know, with certain age group or you’re not going to get the diversity. Okay, Today, even my 83-year-old mother knows how to use a cell phone. So that has. Not that it is true that people of all ages really participate because that is really key because Applebee’s appeals to the young and to older into boomers and older. So it’s really important that whatever methodology we utilizes, that we get that dispersion from an age as well as an ethnicity standpoint as well. So I have not found with that methodology or others that’s been a problem. But that is something that I’m constantly reviewing to make sure that isn’t a problem.

33:31
Jill Marchick
Because it’s so important, because Applebee’s really appeals to everybody, to be honest with you. You know, yes, we skew, you know, we skew lower income, but we go, we run the gamut of age, we run the gamut of gender, you know, so again, we kind of appeal to all age groups. So it’s really important. And we’re more ethnically diverse than our competitors. So it’s really important that we get a good handle on that. And that’s something that is important to make sure whatever methodology you utilize that, you’re getting a good representation. So like, for example, you know, if someone’s using the methodology, somebody said to me somebody was doing a methodology still with pen and paper. Well, I would say that’s a little old because you’re not going to get Gen Z or Millennials to do it.

34:14
Jill Marchick
And everybody can take a survey on a computer nowadays or on their mobile devices. So I would say pen and paper to me, I would wonder if that is getting too old, skewing and not enough younger people participating and also the length of time of a survey. So I remember when I first started, you could have a survey that could go 45 minutes. Now it’s more than 10 minutes. It’s too long. So those are the nuances. You know, things nowadays you just have to be really tight in what you’re asking. And this nobody has patience anymore. And I would say that another big shift from when I started my career today is the lack of patience that people are willing to do in terms of a long survey and how we need to be as tight as possible.

34:57
Speaker 3
Right.

34:57
Ellie Tehrani
That lack of patience reminds me of another question I had and that was some of the main challenges facing the dining industry in particular. What do you think those are, and how are you trying to stay ahead of those at Applebee’s?

35:15
Jill Marchick
Well, I would say what guests are looking for is great food at a great price and a great experience. And, you know, that is the one thing that we’re constantly striving for at Applebee’s. And, you know, we just recently did a study to understand our guests and what are they looking for to make sure we’re delivering against it. And we’re developing our plans for 24 to address that. You know, so that’s the key thing, is that you know, guests today, you know, what they want from Applebee’s is, you know, abundant value and spending time with our team members and having a great experience. You know, we are that neighborhood grill and bar, and that’s what makes us unique.

35:50
Jill Marchick
And, you know, by having, you know, that’s the one key thing that we hear all the time, is that you can come to Applebee’s any way you like, that, you know, they feel comfortable. And that’s the key thing. We are comfortable, from the comfort food to the comforting environment where everyone is welcome. And that’s why guests come to us. And it’s important to understand that and make sure we’re delivering, you know, the right promotions, the right menu offerings that really solidify what they feel about us. It’s going back to understanding who you are as a brand and making sure you’re delivering against it.

36:22
Ellie Tehrani
Brilliant. We have limited time left, and I want to cover a few questions regarding some of your key advice to consumers, insight professionals, and corporations. So, starting with corporations, how can companies better leverage consumer research and analytics to stay ahead of future market challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities?

36:48
Jill Marchick
You have to stay and understand your guest or your consumer. That’s the key. You need to know your consumer, and you need to make sure you have sufficient budget to do it. It’s not like you need, you know, there’s a lot of do-it-yourself type of research right now utilizing Qualtrics and other tools. You need to take advantage of it. You know, my team does a picture of do-it-yourself versus hiring suppliers. This is the old adage: I don’t have any budget. Well, you know what? You can make it work by utilizing some of these other tools to make sure that you understand and stay abreast of your consumer. But it’s also about depending on what you do. Observational research is another great way of doing it.

37:27
Jill Marchick
And I would also say for corporations Insights people should have a seat at the table and should be reporting into leadership and not marketing or strategy. We should really be reporting to the president or whoever the leader is in that particular company. To have that point of view that is objective and that is our role is to have that objective point of view and have the guest’s viewpoint always right.

37:52
Ellie Tehrani
And you mentioned on the corporation side that, you know, with tightening budgets and the need to be more agile and having Insights quicker and more recurring and less expensive, Most importantly, what’s the role then of Insights professionals for that future and what do they need to be doing now to stay ahead of those challenges?

38:16
Jill Marchick
I think that you need to have your passion and understand what’s going on with guests, as well as keep your skills up. And I think that’s the key. You have to keep your research skills up. You need to talk to people in the industry. You need to be reading and just really understanding what is going on and making sure you’re keeping up on the latest and greatest. Because things are constantly changing. You know, some of the old ones that, you know, some certain methodologies are still good, but how do you modernize it? How do you do a new twist? How do you update your questionnaire and things like that? It’s just like always questioning things. Am I getting the most out of the study? If not, should I make a change? Should I be doing something else?

38:53
Jill Marchick
And you should also be questioning your end users. If you’re observing things from the data, you need to bring it to them and say, hey, I’m seeing this and this, what do you think about it? And having the courage to say that and just saying, hey, because you need to enter a good Insights professional needs to understand the whole business. They should be the strategy partner. And saying to them, here’s what I’m saying, here’s what our guests are saying, here’s what you should be doing differently. Have you thought about that in a non-confrontational way and said, hey, I was just digging into this; what do you think about that? And then if you bring it up a few times, then they’re like, oh, okay, you know what, let me take it and let’s see if we can make a change here.

39:32
Speaker 3
Right?

39:33
Ellie Tehrani
And do you think there’s something to be said about empathy training and understanding cultural awareness and nuances better in the Insights world?

39:45
Jill Marchick
I think empathy training is great because you need to really be empathetic to guests. And this is where some people get into trouble in terms of not understanding their guests and they go down these paths. I mean I think we’ve all worked at brands. You’re like, going, why did you do that? I mean, that is totally the polar opposite of what our guests even want or our consumer even wants. So I think it’s really critical to be empathetic and understand. I mean, it’s hard for you to be in the shoes of every single consumer you’re with, but it’s about spending time with them. I mean, I remember early in my career and even. Not even that long ago, you know, doing ethnographies where you spend time in people’s homes. I mean, now people probably you don’t do that as much because you have.

40:25
Jill Marchick
There are ways to do it through mobile ethnography. But I do think you learned a lot by doing that because it helps you understand the cultural nuances. And for me, I’ve done research in many different cultures, and I spent a lot of time observing consumers in different locations in their homes, you know, going to the supermarket with them, going to restaurants with them. And I think those are the things as well. You have to, as a good insights professional, get super close to the guest and the consumer and understand what they really want.

40:53
Speaker 3
Right.

40:54
Ellie Tehrani
And finally, from a consumer’s point of view, in a world where everyone wants your attention, everyone is looking for, analyzing your data, what are some of the points that consumers should be thinking about when balancing the need to get better products and services and thereby, you know, taking part in different surveys and, you know, allowing corporations to gather some of their data versus doing some of the research there themselves and so forth?

41:22
Jill Marchick
Well, from a. From a consumer point of view, one thing I can say from Applebee’s standpoint is we read it. So if you give us feedback. So we have our consumer experience program that we have through Qualtrics, where, you know, we have guests writing in, you know, how was your experience? You know, and what we do see is that we read them, we want to get them. So your opinion matters. Just know that most companies, every company I’ve worked for, do read the responses of things and change is made. And if you don’t speak up, it’s like anything else. If you don’t speak up, change can’t be made. So if you want a better experience, you need to fill out our surveys and we will act on it when we can.

42:05
Jill Marchick
But the guests and consumers are in a power position because the way if you don’t get the feedback, change can’t be made. And unfortunately, we don’t want to lose anybody. Right. You want to grow so that Feedback’s important. So I would say, you know, if the survey’s too long, drop out. But we’re at Applebee’s trying to make short surveys. But we really do want your input. And I think, you know, I think most people that I know in the industry really want the feedback and want to learn from it and make changes.

42:36
Ellie Tehrani
Yeah, I love that phrase. Consumers are in the. They have the power in all of this. And that really wraps up our episode for today in terms of what matters in today’s world of insights. And I want to. Before we end the session, I want to ask you if there’s anything else that we haven’t talked about today that you want to mention to our listeners, the corporations, the consumers, or the insights professionals.

43:08
Jill Marchick
You know, I would just say from an insight professional to insight professional is, you know, this is a great profession to be in. If you’re curious, you’re passionate about consumer behavior, this is the perfect job for you. It’s probably the most exciting time. And I’ve been doing this for quite a few years. This is the most exciting time. Things are changing so fast. And if you enjoy change and you enjoy being nimble and trying new things, this is a great profession.

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