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Marina Baric, Vice President of Marketing for Osmow’s Shawarma.
Marina Baric is an accomplished 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 well-rounded skill set. As a strong marketing professional with extensive experience in the QSR space, Baric is poised to make impactful contributions to strategic marketing plans and communications efforts within the industry. Currently, Marina is the Vice President of Marketing for Osmow’s Shawarma.
Please share your career journey and current roles and responsibilities with our readers.
I have been working in the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry for nearly 25 years, starting my journey at Tim Horton’s. Back in the early 2000s, I was in the grab-and-go coffee category, strategically expanding their consumer relationships to include purchasing Tim’s Horton merchandise in their retail stores and grocery stores. This was well before the K-cup era. Next, I joined Timothy’s World Coffee, who played a key role in bringing Keurig machines to Canada, which really revolutionized the way people used single-serve coffee machines. After that, I moved to Yum! Brands, where I was responsible for the KFC brand. While working there, I worked on many TV campaigns and managed the pipeline for new product launches. Prior to joining Osimov, I spent six years at Dairy Queen, managing exciting projects such as the Children’s Miracle Network’s cause marketing efforts and overseeing the Blizzard category, continually evolving my role to manage both broadcast and social in dissemination work in all countries within. I was also involved in testing their app, which was eventually launched in 2019. For the past four years, I have served as Vice President of Marketing for Osmow’s. The role of a marketer changes every day and mainly involves the strategy and vision of a brand. I also collaborate across departments on creative work, new product launches, securing partnerships and sponsorships, media planning, strategic planning and overseeing campaigns.
How do you see the future of this industry?
In my experience, every marketer in the industry has witnessed a fundamental shift in the way we buy and communicate with consumers for over a decade. In the early years, the focus was largely on radio, outdoor, and even print. However, things have changed, with social media becoming the dominant force in engaging with audiences. Therefore, it’s crucial to know how to adjust your tone based on the platform you’re speaking to your consumers on. On social media, it’s often more effective to be street-savvy and less polished in tone and product shots. Radio, although a more expensive route, is still part of our strategy. However, one of the most important factors we consider when buying media is ensuring we are targeting directly where our core demographic is watching, which is possible across different streaming platforms. Another big change, in my opinion, is the evolution of mobile devices. Loyalty programs have moved from traditional loyalty cards to personalized mobile apps. Now we want to make sure we have our app to communicate with customers in a way that resonates with them and provide personalized offers based on their buying habits. This evolution reflects the dynamic nature of consumer interactions in today’s marketplace.
“Just as technology is always evolving, marketers must also evolve. That means keeping up with the latest trends and following them—but never blindly.”
How do you develop a comprehensive marketing strategy when leveraging the Google platform?
In my opinion, the effectiveness of a marketing strategy depends on a variety of factors. An important factor is your core customers and their whereabouts. It’s critical to understand who our customers are and where they are most likely to be on any given day. Our core users primarily engage with social media platforms, so we focus our purchasing power on social media platforms, tailoring our efforts based on audience preferences and behaviors. When it comes to Google Ads, we have the flexibility to customize campaigns based on market conditions and geography-specific factors. When it comes to digital advertising, technologies like geofencing allow us to target specific areas with great accuracy. For example, innovations could include geofencing within shopping malls or even pinpointing locations such as food courts that are close to our business. Ensuring that our media organizations have and are able to leverage this type of technology is critical to staying at the forefront of targeted advertising strategies.
What technology trends have you noticed in this space?
Just as technology continues to evolve, marketers must also evolve. This means staying on top of the latest trends and following them – but never blindly, making sure the team has done their research! Marketing is ultimately about getting people to connect with a brand – we need to stay true to our brand tone, find the right balance and connect with consumers in a way that feels natural. Today, consumers are influenced by many factors. When we showcase something on social media, it’s crucial to complement it with additional strategies to reinforce the brand in the minds of consumers. Additionally, third-party aggregators like Uber also contribute to the ad space, adding another layer to the consumer experience. Given the abundance of content on social platforms and radio, consumers are constantly exposed to marketing campaigns. The challenge is to make these interactions feel natural and fit seamlessly into the brand’s overall identity.
What advice do you have for your peers?
Always stay on top of the latest trends, but leverage them in an authentic way. As marketers, we feel uncomfortable when a brand tries to be something that is not consistent with its image. Yes, you can develop a brand identity, but it doesn’t happen overnight. Your consumers can spot inauthenticity a mile away, which can mean being identified for all the wrong reasons.
On the other hand, when a brand is able to capitalize on its unique attributes and highlight them in true brand fashion, well now…that’s the secret sauce!
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