As Burger King (NYSE: BKC) steers itself to becoming a global brand, John Shaufelberger is at its marketing helm and looking toward Europe. In charge of creating “Super Fans” in every corner of the globe, Burger King’s new senior vice president of global product marketing explains how focusing on customers’ similarities will be the key to the brand’s success abroad.

Briefly describe your role as Senior Vice President of Global Product Marketing.

I basically will lead our product marketing and product innovation team … with identifying menu strategies, menu [caps], and really laying out a three- to five-year menu plan that will fit our brand goals and align with menu directions.

What international project really has your attention right now?

I would probably say it’s going to sound crazy from a food guy, but the one I’m most excited about is actually a piece of equipment we’re working on called our Flexible Fast Broiler, and that is a new broiler. You know, Burger King has [honed] flame broiling. That really is what sets us apart as the quality food leader.

Right.

And this new broiler is going to provide not only a whole host of efficiency savings to our operators in our restaurants, but provide all those great chefs and food commercialization experts [with] new innovative food platforms that they can explore thanks to this new piece of equipment, this new flex broiler.

Are there unique marketing challenges for each of BK’s global markets?

Yes … I would say our Super Fan target. Knowing exactly, strategically, whom we’re going after is not limiting, but actually liberating. So, we of course will be the home of the Whopper, and we’re going to be the home of the Whopper in all 11,000 or so restaurants that we’ve got, but we also recognize that there are certain tastes, flavors that we have to develop to continue to drive visits behind the Super Fan, let’s say in Asia-Pacific, or in our European market.

Give a brief description of a Super Fan.

It’s really a heavy fast-food user. It’s an 18- to 49-year-old, but really skews 18 to 34, split pretty evenly male and female. In fact, we are really zeroing in on not only that Super Fan male, which has been somebody that has helped us drive sales over the last three years, but that Super Fan female, and that parties with kids business that is so important to the fast food.

Do you market differently to different Super Fans?

How many times they come to Burger King, whether it’s six or seven times in the U.S., versus three to four times in the U.K., will differ, but we know that the majority of them are looking for a great-tasting Whopper from Burger King across the globe. We will have some localized tastes and flavors, just to make sure that we are meeting all of the needs of the local citizens.

In 23 stores in the U.K. we have recently looked at a traditional British breakfast; we’re looking at [kippers and] sausage, porridge, a lot of different items that are obviously very specific to the U.K. customer. That U.K. customer is responding very well because they have a specific idea of what a traditional British breakfast should be.