Speaker Q&A: Fátima Diez, Picnic: the sociable media company
Meet Fátima Diez, former international brand and communications manager at Five Guys and one of The Drum’s Future 50 Marketers. Now working as brand manager at Picnic: the sociable media company, she’ll be sharing her expertise in this year’s lunch! X Supersonic Food Marketing Podcast. Hosted by Mark McCulloch, the panel also includes Katie Lister, marketing director at Chilango, and Helen Harrison, brand director at Crussh – Fit Food & Juice Bars (11.15am, 19 Sept).
What do you think is the key for operators to successfully compete against their competitors?
Taking and maintaining a consumer perspective. Most areas of the business thrive when customers drive your decision-making.
What do you see as the key food-to-go trends to watch?
I would definitely keep an eye on the growing influence of food tech in the industry and of course, on consumers’ views on it. Also, eating habits and dietary requirements are experiencing an interesting evolution not being only linked to health anymore, but to wider causes like social responsibility.
Why is innovation so vital to the food-to-go sector?
Bearing in mind that innovation can take many forms beyond new product development, it is clear that businesses cannot provide the best possible experience for customers if they are stuck in their offering and processes. For many businesses, this doesn’t necessarily mean jumping on all food trends, but rather maintain a constant keen eye on potential opportunities for a memorable interaction with the brand in any area the customer will come into contact with.
How important is lunch! show to the food-to-go sector?
It’s a great opportunity to meet and hear from professionals who have faced similar challenges in the sector, a chance to discover opportunities for growth, and an amazing excuse to reconnect with old colleagues.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
I think it’s the reaction of customers to new country launches or store openings. Seeing their excitement and how they can convert their friends into fans of a brand they didn’t know about before is really motivating.
And the most challenging?
From my perspective, there are two main challenges that are closely linked: One is keeping the brand relevant over time while ensuring that evolution feels natural to our customers, and the other is managing change during an extremely fast growth pace on the brand side, since the way that fans and the market engage with the business dramatically changes at different stages.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry?
Always remember to take a step back to see your company from an outsider perspective. It’s easy to fall into the trap of taking the “company approach” to topics when you know all about your brand and spend most of your time thinking about it, but the truth is most customers don’t.
See Fátima at lunch! 2019
lunch! X The Supersonic Food Marketing Podcast Panel: 11.15am on Thursday 19 September in Keynote Theatre 1
The session also features:
- Helen Harrison, Brand Director, Crussh
- Katie Lister, Marketing Director, Chilango
- Mark McCulloch, Founder, Supersonic Inc (session chair)
