Restaurants
Panera Taps New Chief Brand and Concept Officer
Panera has announced it is hiring Eduardo Luz, former U.S. Chief Marketing Officer at Kraft Heinz, as its new Chief Brand and Concept Officer effective May 26. According to the above QSR Magazine article, Luz will look over the brand’s marketing, digital, strategy/insights, and culinary teams.
“The entire Panera family is excited to welcome Eduardo Luz as our new chief brand and concept officer,” Niren Chaudhary, Panera CEO, said in an email statement to QSR in the article above. “Eduardo is a highly experienced and creative business leader with a proven track record of success with building global brands. We look forward to his innovative and action-oriented brand leadership that will help us take Panera into the future.”
Loyalty Programs
Starbucks Is Giving New Rewards Members A Free Drink After Their First Transaction
Coffee giant Starbucks has announced it will be giving new members of its Starbucks Rewards Program a free drink. To take advantage of this offer, one first needs to download the app, make their first transaction as a member, and then they’ll receive the drink in the form of 150 stars on the app.
This offer is only valid for a limited time, as new Starbucks Rewards members can redeem it from now until August 10, 2020.
National Extends Rewards Promotion
National Car Rental and their Emerald Club have announced that it has extended the use of free days from its One Two Free promotion. Also, free days earned from Emerald Club will now be accepted at Enterprise Rent-A-Car neighborhood locations throughout the country. The expiration date on free days accrued from the One Two free and Rent Rent Rewards programs have been extended from June 15 to December 31.
Emerald Club members can also redeem up to seven days per rental transaction at the valid base rate, with free days redeemable for only passenger vehicles.
Innovation
Accor Seeks to Reignite the Love of Travel
Accor has recently started trying to return to opening hotels, and has started a campaign, titled “Reignite the Love of Travel.” This campaign will begin with a short film and a social media campaign.
“We have reacted to the crisis with a fully-fledged marketing strategy which firstly reassures our guests through the launch of ALLSAFE and that has established world-class cleanliness standards and protocols to ensure our guests are welcomed back in full safety,” Steven Taylor, chief marketing officer, Accor said in the above Breaking Travel News article. “Secondly, in these challenging times, we believe it is part of our mission to inspire people with positivity, humour, and encourage them to reignite their love of travel.”
Partnerships
Adidas and Allbirds Team Up to Make Environmentally Friendly Shoes
Adidas and Allbirds have announced a partnership to start manufacturing environmentally friendly shoes, that by choosing to purchase the right shoe, you are decreasing your carbon footprint.
“In the last several months, we have witnessed how resilient our global community can be in the face of crisis,” James Carnes, VP of Adidas Brand Strategy, and Tim Brown, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Allbirds, said in a joint statement. “While it’s up to every individual to their part, brands have a responsibility to ensure everything they create contributes to a more sustainable future. I am hopeful that this partnership will be an example for others to follow as we pursue a more sustainable, net-zero carbon future. Our hope is that the future is more about collaboration than it is competition.”