AWARDS
COURTESYOF^ SWEETGREEN,
MCDONALD’S52 MARCH 16, 2020 |^ ADWEEK®
Nathaniel Ru
co-founder, chief brand officer
Sweetgreen
Sweetgreen’s accomplished what many startups aim to do but don’t
always achieve: reinvent a category to make it fun and exciting. For
Sweetgreen, it meant making a salad feel like a new and radically
different lunch option for office workers across the country. With
more than 100 stores nationwide, including a shop in a new market—
Houston—Ru’s paving a path
of success and nationwide
recognition for the brand. The
salad shop’s also expecting to
expand its “outpost” service
(which delivers Sweetgreen
to corporate offices) to 2,500
locations by the end of 2020.
Last year, the company
released its first national
video and print campaign, dubbed “Follow Your Greens,”
highlighting what people love to put in their Sweetgreen orders.
“Our goal at Sweetgreen is to create a brand that can make an
impact on the food system,” Ru says. “In 2019, we set out to get
stronger, not just bigger.” —A.A.Morgan Flatley
CMO | McDonald’s
Under Flatley, McDonald’s made a number
of big moves this past year. In September, the
fast-food chain named Wieden + Kennedy
New York as its new lead creative agency in
the U.S., shaking up its advertising roster.
The decision was made after a comprehensive
review of the company’s marketing strategy.
McDonald’s has also been
rolling out a new visual
identity that seeks to
simplify brand elements
from the logos to the
interior design of its
restaurants, courtesy of
Publicis Groupe design
firm Turner Duckworth.
Also on Flatley ’s watch,
McDonald’s made its largest acquisition in
20 years with the purchase of Dynamic Yield
in March for a reported $300 million. The
deal bolstered the restaurant chain’s digital
transformation by adding the Dynamic
Yield’s personalization abilities to its tool
belt. McDonald’s is using the technology in
its digital drive-throughs, giving its signage
the ability to change food recommendations
based on the time of day or the weather, as well
as feature menu options that are trending.
And then there’s McDonald’s branded
clothing line, which launched in December
and can now be bought online year-round.
Meanwhile, with Flatley—who joined the
company in 2017—leading the way, McDonald’s
has been driving same-store sales growth with
promotions, store upgrades and a greater focus
on technology. —R.C.