It is not possible to have a good brand strategy if the marketing area does not have influence over what happens in the field of innovation and product development. At least not in a sector as competitive as the QSR (Quick Service Restaurant), in which consideration or sales can depend on the incorporation of an ingredient to a dish or a new option on the menu.

Alejandro Hermo, CEO of Goiko, and Javier Guadiana, Founder and CEO of reason.Whyduring the Visa Marketing Now 2025 event. Their dialogue was part of the meeting proposal, promoted by Visa and designed together with reason.Whybased on the exchange of knowledge and experiences between marketing professionals with the intention of better understanding the present in order to address the challenges of the future.

In this summary video you can see some highlights of the conversation they had at the event. The main conclusions of what Alejandro Hermo transmitted to the attendees are collected below under these lines.

The relationship between marketing and product

Both managers began by talking about the importance of the product being within the competencies and scope of marketing, since it is a key element in the relationship with customers and, consequently, in business results. As Hermo pointed out, product design is what brings customers to the restaurant, it impacts the construction of the menu, the upselling or in the pricing strategy.

This is why marketing must act as a guide to innovation to guarantee the achievement of the company’s objectives. “Product development has an art part, which has to do with the creativity of the design. And a part of science, which is to focus, an objective and provide relevance. It is not about innovating for the sake of innovation“, explained the CEO of Goiko. “The job of marketing is to align the product with the brand attributes”.

This “science” must be supported by a process and a method based on knowledge of the business, the brand, the sector and the consumer. And it must consider aspects such as the situation of the category, the demands and needs of users or what is demanded in supermarkets. It must also be tested with real consumers, take into account costs and prices, and plan launches on a calendar. “Marketing is the orchestra director who must fit everything together. That’s why product and marketing have to work closely together, because if not, it would be chaos.”.

The brand as a guarantor of the business

Beyond the product, Alejandro Hermo considers marketing a priority to guarantee Goiko’s competitiveness in a sector that is increasingly saturated with options. And the fact is that, in addition to large restaurant chains, such as Vips, Foster’s Hollywood or La Tagliatella, Goiko competes with other companies within the same product segment, from the renowned McDonald’s or Burger King, to the dozens of mini-chains of hamburgers that have emerged over the last few years in many Spanish cities.

In this situation, the brand must accompany the business. “I think of our business as a brand funnel. We don’t have awareness problems, because people know us, but the problem is when we talk about consideration.“, commented the manager. “That’s where the power of branding comes into play and where the marketing director’s job really is. In getting them to visit restaurants, defining the product, prices, promotions…”.

However, on some occasions, as Javier Guadiana highlighted, the business cannot leverage the brand and it is necessary to deploy another series of tactics. In these cases, Alejandro Hermo advises taking pause and distancing to detect the problems and identify their possible solutions. It is convenient, he said, to understand the situation, to establish whether it is a temporary or structural issue, or whether the friction comes from a region or a specific channel. “The most important thing is to understand so as not to overreact“, said.

Otherwise, there is a risk of starting to activate levers without a defined strategy and operationally altering the development of the business and, in addition, affecting brand building. “You cannot shoot with a machine gun. Without properly identifying the problem, you cannot start changing the product, or cut back on marketing, or launch one promotion per week.“, noted the CEO of Goiko during the conversation. “That, in the end, deteriorates the brand and your core. If the essence of the brand is altered due to temporary reasons, that is when people get confused and stop understanding what you are.”.

As both managers agreed, the commitment to the brand must be constant and sustained. Because in the face of difficulties, a strong brand continues to emanate attributes identifiable by users, connecting with the audience and sustaining the company. And in a category of brutal competition, like the one Goiko is in, the brand enables the long-term survival of the business.

Competition and marketing requirements

During their conversation on Visa Marketing Now, they also addressed other issues. Javier Guadiana asked him about any aspect that he admired about his competition. McDonald’s and Burger King, where Hermo has previously developed his professional career, focused the responses.

Goiko’s CEO said he admired its brand clarity, which has remained unchanged for decades, and the easy identification of its attributes: affordability, convenience and consistency. However, consider that this itself can become a barrier. By having such solid pillars, they present a certain rigidity in processes and structures, compromising the speed of innovation or local adaptation.

“Today, flexibility and agility are essential. I think we have more advantage in that sense. If we see that something is not working, we change it, and if something works, we expand it to the entire territory.“Hermo commented.”Being able to do that with a brand allows you to move much faster in the go-to-market.”.

From his position as CEO, Hermo also shared some details of his relationship with the marketing department. Specifically, what it understands as two requirements, sometimes contradictory, but key to achieving the objectives. On the one hand, it is important for marketers to take an elevated approach to the brand, that is, to understand the strategy and purpose, and how these are communicated to customers and reflected in the restaurant or product experience.

On the other hand, they must have a tactical approach and be clear about how to activate the brand at different levels, from point-of-sale marketing to social networks or CRM. “Nowadays you have to have marketing teams that can be elevated and, at the same time, go down a lot in the mud because the devil is in the details”Hermo noted in his speech. ““If you have a team that kills flies with cannon fire, you have a problem, you have to be able to land things a lot.”.

In addition, he also considers it important that marketing managers leave their ego aside, that is, that they know how to detach themselves from their creative ideas because the reality is that the vast majority of them are not going to succeed. “They are creative teams and always have many ideas, most of them very good. But you have to be quick when it comes to killing them and moving on.”.

There was also room to analyze the importance of data and the role it plays both in personalizing the relationship with consumers and in the effectiveness of marketing actions. On the other hand, the CEO of Goiko hopes to be able to take advantage of the capabilities of artificial intelligence to address the transition, as he noted, from “one to many” to “one to some” and, finally, to “one to one.”

After his intervention, we were able to talk with Alejandro Hermo and he explained more about his vision on the importance of data for the business. He also explained to us what the biggest challenge facing his sector today is or what he does to avoid being dragged down by the speed of today’s world.
You can see more in the following video and here you have the rest of the interviews we did with some of the attendees.