Suzi Hoy
Head of brand and communications
Burger King UK
For Burger King’s Suzi Hoy, there is always an opportunity to do more. To be more engaging, more bold and more challenging, while always staying true to a brand’s values.
“In an era where consumers are bombarded with messaging from thousands of brands, the brands that stand out are those that aren’t afraid to be bold, to have an opinion, to be challenging, to show personality, and to communicate their values with confidence,” she says. “But all calculated risks only work when they are anchored in genuine insight and clear brand values.”
However, she appreciates that risk taking isn’t without its challenges, particularly in a world of immediate feedback, online scrutiny, and constant measurement. But playing it safe is not an option in competitive markets.
“Not every asset will please everyone. There will always be moments of negative sentiment, but that’s often a sign that you’re sparking real conversation and connection,” she says. Burger King’s ‘Bundles of Joy’, showing new mums enjoying a post-labour burger, is example of that.
This dedication to “creative bravery”, as her nominator puts it, and her leadership of the brand team and Burger King’s agencies has “delivered incredible results in recent years”.
“Not every asset will please everyone. There will always be moments of negative sentiment, but that’s often a sign that you’re sparking real conversation and connection.”
Her management of the fast-food chain’s media strategy and relationship with Walk-In Media, for example, has resulted in the strongest ROIs Burger King has seen in years.
Hoy is commended for her careful planning, optimisation and management of budget, as well as delivering excellent payback in audience targeting, while also encouraging test and learn strategies across the mix. All of this against a backdrop of a challenging media budget and while navigating HFSS regulations.
While data plays a critical role, she believes “trusting your gut” is another important, but frequently underrated skill.
“Too often we rely on research and data as a safety net,” she says. “Obviously these are important – don’t get me wrong, I love an econometrics review – but it’s also important to trust what feels right given your experience with your brand.” This is also true when it comes to balancing short-term KPIs with longer-term brand building.
“With so much focus on immediate metrics and ROI, it can be tempting to prioritise quick wins over sustained brand growth but as we’ve learnt at Burger King, long-term equity is built through driving an emotional connection with our customers via consistent storytelling and it’s this brand building that drives results.”
