New Einstein Bros. CMO Wants to Amplify Brand’s Role in Breakfast

Storytelling drives marketing. No one understands this better than Jessica Serrano, Einstein Bros. Bagels’ new chief marketing officer.

“Brands who identify ways to stay true to their core and what make them special yet still figure out how to evolve and stay relevant with the next generation is what’s really key to longstanding success,” Serrano said. “That’s what I’m really looking forward to particularly on the Einstein brand: Uncovering what those things are that people love about Einstein Bros. Bagels and then finding how we can continue to keep it fresh and new for younger generations.”

Serrano, who started in August, is leading focus groups to understand consumers’ perceptions of the brand.

She said feedback lays the foundation for her next moves with Einstein’s marketing.

“What’s clear to me in both the data and the consumer research is we have really great quality products … yet at the same time, I think there’s a perception that we haven’t been doing things new and different and exciting,” she said.

To shift this perception, Serrano is going back to the basics and working to amplify and freshen up the brand’s story, from giving consumers a behind-the-scenes look at how bagels are made daily to profiling the company’s bakers.

Equally important, she noted, is highlighting the brand’s unique place among restaurant categories.

“When it comes to breakfast, bagels really do exist in a category of its own,” she said. “We compete with other local bagel shops,” but also with quick-service restaurants, coffee shops and cafes, “so we have this unique intersection.”

Serrano is more than familiar with the breakfast category and leading large brands, finding success in leadership roles at Burger King and Taco Bell among others.

Just shy of 1,000 units, Einstein, which is part of Panera Brands, has the vantage point of intersecting across segments, Serrano said, begging the question: What role does the brand play in a customer’s morning?

“I would love to look back and be able to say that we successfully put bagels at the center of morning culture. I think one of the more fun ways we’ll get there is through telling a little bit more of the story behind our craft,” she said. “I’m looking forward to reimagining the way we approach social media … There’s so many great stories to tell, and I really can’t wait for our guests to see that come to life in the coming months and years.”

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Send promotions and new hire news in franchising to Alyssa Huglen, [email protected]