“Osmow's Shawarma is a great choice for Shawarma,” said Marina Baric, vice president of marketing for Osmow's Shawarma.
“Osmow's Shawarma is a great choice for Shawarma,” said Marina Baric, vice president of marketing for Osmow's Shawarma.Marina Baric is a seasoned professional with a rich history and proven track record in the food and beverage industry. Her expertise in retail, sales, management, leadership and marketing brings a comprehensive skill set. A strong marketing professional with extensive experience in the QSR field, Baric is poised to make an impactful contribution to strategic marketing and communications efforts within the industry. Currently, Marina is the Vice President of Marketing for Osmow's Shawarma.
Please share with our readers your career history and current roles and responsibilities.
I started my journey at Tim Horton's and have been in the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry for about 25 years. In the early 2000s, I was in the grab-and-go coffee category and was strategically expanding our relationships with consumers, including buying Tim's Hortons products inside retail stores alongside grocery stores. This was long before the days of K-cups. Then I joined Timothy's World Coffee. Timothy's World Coffee played a central role in introducing Keurig's machines to Canada. This has revolutionized the way people utilize their single-serve coffee machines. He then moved to Yum, specifically working on his KFC brand. While working there, I participated in numerous television campaigns and managed the pipeline of new product launches. Prior to joining Osmow's, he spent six years at Dairy Queen, where he managed exciting projects such as Cause's marketing efforts at the Children's Miracle Network, and oversaw Blizzard's categories, including broadcast and social. It has evolved its role in managing national communications activities. I was also involved in testing their app, which was eventually released in 2019. For the past four years, I have held the role of Vice President of Marketing at his Osmow's. The role of a marketer changes from day to day and primarily involves setting the brand's strategy and vision. We also collaborate cross-functionally on creative initiatives, new product launches, securing partnerships and sponsorships, media planning, strategic planning, and campaign oversight.
How do you envision the future of this industry?
In my experience, all marketers in the industry have been witnessing this fundamental shift in the way they buy and communicate with consumers for over a decade. In the early days, the focus was primarily on broadcast, outdoor, and even print. However, things have changed and social media has emerged as a dominant force for engaging with audiences. Therefore, knowing how to adjust your tone of voice depending on the platform you are utilizing to speak to consumers plays an important role. On social media, it's often more effective to be street savvy and less polished in tone and product photography. Broadcasting, although a more expensive avenue, remains part of our strategy. However, one of the most important factors we consider when buying media is to make sure it's directly targeted to where our core demographic is watching, and this comes from a variety of streaming sources. It is possible on this platform. Another important change, in my opinion, is the evolution of mobile. Loyalty programs are moving from traditional loyalty cards to personalized mobile apps. Now it's important to ensure you have a unique app, communicate with your customers in a way that resonates with them, and offer personalized deals based on their buying habits. This evolution reflects the dynamic nature of consumer interactions in today's marketplace.
“Just as technology is constantly evolving, marketers must also continue to evolve. That means staying on top of the latest trends and jumping on them, but never evolving blindly. It is not.”
How do you develop a comprehensive marketing strategy when leveraging Google Platform?
In my opinion, the effectiveness of a marketing strategy depends on a variety of factors. One important factor is your key customers and their location. Knowing who our customers are and where they are most likely to be on any given day is paramount. Our core users primarily access social media platforms, so we focus our buying power there and work with our audience's preferences and behaviors. When it comes to Google Ads, you have the flexibility to adjust your campaigns based on market conditions and geography. When it comes to digital advertising, technologies such as geofencing allow you to target specific areas with incredible precision. For example, innovations have enabled geofencing within malls, allowing us to pinpoint locations such as food courts close to our businesses. Ensuring that media agencies own and leverage such technology is essential to staying at the forefront of targeted advertising strategies.
What are some of the technology trends you are watching in this space?
Just as technology is constantly evolving, so must marketers. That means staying on top of the latest trends and jumping on them, but never blindly and making sure your team does their research. Marketing is ultimately about connecting people with your brand. You need to stay true to your brand tone, find the right balance, and connect with consumers in a way that feels natural. Today, consumers are influenced by a variety of factors. When introducing something on social media, it's important to complement it with additional tactics that strengthen your brand in the minds of consumers. Additionally, third-party aggregators such as Uber also contribute to the advertising space, adding another layer to the consumer experience. With the abundance of content across social platforms and broadcasts, consumers are constantly exposed to marketing efforts. The challenge lies in making these interactions feel natural and seamlessly integrated into the overall brand identity.
What advice would you give to your colleagues?
Always keep up with the latest trends and utilize them in an authentic way. What I don't like as a marketer is when a brand tries to be something that isn't true to its identity. Yes, you can evolve your brand identity, but it won't happen overnight. A consumer will notice fraud even from a mile away. It can mean being recognized for the wrong reasons.
Conversely, if a brand can leverage its unique attributes and highlight them in a way that's true to the brand, well… that's the secret sauce.
