The Secret Marketing Playbook Behind Burger King, Popeyes, & Tim Hortons

Watch our documentary on the Future of the CMO from this link 📺:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXBKelmQomM

In this episode, Daniel Blumer, CMO of Restaurant Brands International (EMEA), breaks down how Burger King’s parent company keeps four iconic brands fresh in a noisy quick-service world. From ditching 1,000-slide reports to tapping local culture first, Daniel shares the practical framework that powers 7,000+ restaurants across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

One key takeaway: Stop averaging—start individualizing. Daniel explains how looking at every store’s micro-market unleashed hidden growth, and why “emotional first, functional later” has become the new rulebook for launching Popeyes or Tim Hortons in new countries. If you lead marketing for a multi-brand, multi-market business, this conversation is your cheat sheet.

Watch the video version of this podcast on Youtube ▶️: https://youtu.be/ws_GuCGOAlQ

          📚 Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Intro 🎙️
• (00:04:00) - Favorite challenger brand 🏆
• (00:05:48) - Overview of RBI
• (00:12:25) - Building Cultural Relevance 📊
• (00:18:56) - Sales, budget & market-share framework 💵
• (00:28:00) - Boutique agency network strategy 🤝
• (00:33:12) - Lightning Round ⚡

🖊️Mentioned in the show:

• Liquid death

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Scratch is hosted by Eric Fulwiler, joined this episode by Daniel Blumer of Restaurant Brands International.

Find Rival online at www.wearerival.com, LinkedIn

Find Eric on LinkedIn

Find Daniel on LinkedIn.

Say hi at [email protected], we’d love to hear from you.

Rival is a marketing consultancy for brands that want to challenge convention in their category. We’re on a mission to understand what challenger brands do differently to grow in categories that are being disrupted, and use a challenger playbook to deliver outsized impact through an integrated, tech-enabled approach. Past guests include CMOs from Mastercard, GE, Shell, Hyperloop, Adobe, PepsiCo, and Papa Johns.

If you’re interested in learning more about marketing from successful CMOs, we compiled a list of the top 5 CMO podcasts to listen to in 2024; check it out here 🔗  https://www.wearerival.com/content-hub-articles/cmo-podcasts-you-cannot-afford-to-miss-in-2024