What We Believe

Times Are A Changing

We are living in one of the most significant points on the timeline of human evolution.  Change is occurring at the fastest rate in history.  There is an explosion of choice, communication channels, and general complexity.  The effects of globalization are permanent and are impacting nearly every industry in the world.

The Restaurant Industry Is Changing Too

The tectonic plates of the restaurant industry are moving at a faster rate now than in decades before.  The unit economic model of the restaurant industry has fundamentally and irreversibly changed.  These changes are driven by dozens of seismic and sustainable trends such as demographics, psychographics, evolving consumer dining behavior, the dynamics of emerging industry categories such as fast casual and home meal replacement, globalization, and significant technological advances spanning many industries (which seem to converge and spinoff into whole new industries).

Specialization Is More Important Than Ever

In such a complex world, we seek out specialists.  Whether you are a noodle shop, a manufacturer or a marketer, specialization is key.  With so many choices available, convenience has become a new luxury.  Whether it’s a Millennial choosing a restaurant or a Baby Boomer choosing a supplier for their bakery, price and selection are still important, but not as important as trust, expertise, and specialization.

But Some Things Always Stay The Same

The technologies we use and trends that ascend and recede will keep on cycling through, but certain fundamentals of human nature and hospitality will remain constant.  It’s easy to get caught up in the latest marketing toys and techniques, but ultimately these are simply new tools used for the same enduring purpose of our industry – to host, to nourish them, and ultimately to restore our guests.

The Basics

Similar to the fundamentals of human nature and hospitality, there are also basic ground rules to follow when it comes to the marketing of your business. Our marketing philosophy depends heavily on our belief in limitless possibilities.  We believe do-your-best objectives are as good as no objectives at all.  We push ourselves and clients to think and plan beyond incrementalism.  Think big.  Inspire.  Anything less won’t cut through the clutter. For starters, invest from the inside out.

The core components of any successful marketing program starts with the foundation; a well-defined brand promise, personality, positioning and story. Why are you doing what you do? You must have a vision, purpose and reason for being that others can identify with and rally behind.

More emphasis should be placed on training than advertising. (Ever heard a ‘marketing company’ say that before?) And when you do advertise, remember you’re only selling your differences. If you waste money painting a picture of how you have “good food, good service, and a good atmosphere” you’re making the same claims everyone else does. That’s just the price to get in the game.

Many businesses start their planning by trying to figure out what color the brochure is supposed to be before they even know what it is supposed to do.  Could be you don’t need a brochure at all.  We focus clients on the core issues.

A Truly Global Perspective

We’re a global firm focused exclusively in the restaurant industry.  This industry is our life.  Our passion.  We will settle for nothing less than being the absolute best in our field.  We strive for that daily, working relentlessly to stay miles ahead of anyone else in the restaurant marketing field.  After years of experience in the restaurant industry, we have developed an extensive collage of knowledge, techniques, understanding and experience. We are the restaurant marketing experts, and that specialization makes all the difference in the world

What You Can Expect From Us

Ever hear of that saying “Lay it on me with no jelly?” Yep, that’s us. We don’t tell you what you want to hear. We tell you what you need to hear, and what will make you successful. We give an unbiased opinion that’s sincere, truthful, and colored by years of experience working with some of the most successful companies and executives in this industry worldwide.

What makes Aaron Allen & Associates different? Why chose this firm over another consultancy or agency?

Results. This in itself is a point of differentiation over many marketing options out there. We would rather be fired from a project or go against popular consensus if we truly believe in something that is in our client’s best interest. We are not afraid to die on that hill. We want to make a distinctive impact. Our clients do not hire us just because we are nice people (after we’ve had our morning coffee). The fact that we genuinely care about our clients is very important to them, but what they really hire us for is to get them to the next level on accelerated timeframes and with less risk than going it alone.