Marriner Marketing

Cutting through the noise is not just about being louder; it’s about being clearer – this is the principle upon which Marriner Marketing, a full-service integrated marketing solutions agency, is built.

‘Clarity’ being its rallying cry, it navigates the food, beverage, and hospitality industry marketplace with a lens finely tuned to identify smart and strategic ways to differentiate brands today and in the future.

“We’re experts in crafting marketing strategies for top food, beverage, and hospitality businesses. We specialize in brand building, market research, and strategic planning to fuel competitive enterprises. Our traditional and interactive campaigns are built to resonate and continuously evolve, ensuring success when and where it truly matters,” says Rob Levine, president and partner.

Much like a seasoned chef who knows the precise blend of ingredients needed to create a signature dish, Marriner identifies the unique elements that define a brand, forming narratives that create deep connections with the target audience.

The Marriner Methodology

Marriner’s proven approach revolves around harnessing a brand’s true essence as its most powerful asset. The objective is to sift through the noise, nonsense, and distractions to expose salient points that fuel smart decision-making. This quest for authenticity begins by closely examining the brand’s core values and vision.

It all starts with the ‘Clarity Capture Process,’ which involves deeply analyzing how the brand’s essence resonates with its target audience. Clarity Capture combines an in-depth market assessment, a deep dive into the personas and motivations of the brand’s customers and those that should be its customers, and the Marriner team’s insightful creativity powered by decades of relevant experience to define the brand’s most relevant value proposition.

Following this, ‘Clarity in Action’ takes over, with in-house capabilities covering content creation, distribution, and technology. Marriner’s content studio, with diverse teams, brings the brand’s story to life across various platforms.

Measurement is integral, driving a disciplined approach to uncover and leverage the metrics that matter. Significant investments are directed toward creating informative dashboards and performance reports bolstered by meaningful statistics and data. This analytical insight powers the brand, maintaining a continuous flow of data from the front to the back end, propelling the brand forward.

After execution, measurement serves as a phase of reflection, learning, and refinement. The impact of the narrative is carefully assessed, yielding insights for future campaigns. This ongoing cycle of execution and evaluation keeps the brand narrative fresh, relevant, and impactful. Through this iterative process, the narrative evolves with accumulated insights, ensuring continued progress that resonates with changing market dynamics.

“Our methodology is about more than just surface-level changes. It’s about delving into the heart of a brand, connecting it to the heart of the target audience. Decisions may engage the head, addressing practical concerns like saving time or money, but brand commitments are forged in the heart,” says David Melnick, partner and EVP of brand integration.

From Words to Action

The ever-evolving food and beverage industry, influenced by changing consumer behaviors, challenges brands to remain relevant. Marriner addresses this challenge by bridging the gap between at-home and away-from-home consumption, helping brands thrive in both contexts.

One of Marriner’s successful ventures includes partnering with Butterball, a well-known Thanksgiving turkey brand. It aimed to extend Butterball’s appeal beyond the holiday season and make it a daily choice for food service operators. Marriner began by studying millennial chefs’ preferences and found a disconnect in their value of turkey on menus compared to older generations. It used data-driven insights to create compelling narratives that resonated with millennial chefs, resulting in a 12-month targeted campaign that shifted perceptions and strengthened Butterball’s position in the food service sector.

“We consider Marriner Marketing a true strategic partner,” says Richie Jenkins, senior director of business development and marketing at Butterball. “For more than 10 years, the agency’s commitment to clarity and authenticity has elevated our presence in the food service industry. Marriner’s dedication to understanding the nuances of our business, combined with thoughtful collaboration, helps us continue to bridge generational gaps and boost year-round turkey usage.”

In another project, Marriner simplified Campbell’s frozen soup portfolio, which had become complex and misaligned with the actual buying patterns of food service operators. Marriner’s research led to a reorganization and rebranding of Campbell’s soup line, aligning it with operators’ purchasing habits and enhancing Campbell’s presence in the frozen soup market.

Strategic Alliances and In-House Capabilities

Marriner strengthens its expertise by forming strategic alliances, such as with Anne-Marie Roerink of 210 Analytics, renowned for her food and beverage research. This partnership provides valuable industry insights to craft compelling brand narratives.

Such insights gained from alliances are practical and measurable, laddering up to the overarching goal of brand transformation.

This combination of external partnerships and robust in-house capabilities highlights Marriner’s holistic approach and preparedness to excel in the dynamic food, beverage, and hospitality marketing landscape. Marriner blends rational and emotional elements, emphasizing authenticity to make brands visible and deeply resonant with the audience today while always thinking about what’s next.

Through clarity, in-house expertise, and an authenticity commitment, Marriner offers a marketing methodology that transforms brands in the bustling food, beverage, and hospitality industry.