Yum! Brands, Inc. announced the publication of R.E.D. Marketing: The Three Ingredients of Leading Brands (Harper Collins; June 8, 2021) by Ken Muench, CMO of Yum! Brands, and Greg Creed, former CEO of Yum! Brands. The book explores the importance of a holistic marketing strategy that creates a brand for the long-term. Muench and Creed share R.E.D. Marketing principles – Relevance, Ease and Distinctiveness – and how they have led Yum!’s well-known brands, KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and The Habit Burger Grill, to sales growth around the world.
The book combines Creed’s bold personality and Muench’s scientific curiosity to bring to life stories of R.E.D. Marketing in action at some of the world’s most beloved brands. Creed was CEO of Yum! Brands from January 2015 to December 2019. In addition to being Yum! Brands CMO, Muench is also the Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder of Collider Lab.
“As culture continues to shift dramatically around the world, and the competitive context gets tougher and tougher, R.E.D. Marketing gives brands a simple framework and toolset with which to confront the challenge and end up ahead,” says Muench. “The concepts in the book are proven to be effective, as they have helped lead our brands to sales growth in many worldwide markets.”
R.E.D. Marketing also emphasizes that marketing should be fun and exciting while showcasing the latest marketing science that leads to lasting growth and sustained sales. The book shares marketing concepts that are applicable during good times, but critical during challenging times.
“The pandemic tested companies around the world and highlighted the importance of R.E.D. Marketing fundamentals. The underlying brilliance of this framework is that it allows marketers to operate effectively by using a shared approach, being more focused, staying nimble and keeping it simple during times of change,” says Creed. “The book is timely because its concepts are particularly useful to marketers who see opportunities for their brands as they emerge from the pandemic.”
The book provides guidance to marketers of all levels, using the powerful R.E.D Marketing approach, which highlights the elements needed for brand success. Key insights and concepts discussed in the book include:
The brand must have something that is particularly Relevant (R) to a consumer need, that is Easy to get (E) and that stands out as Distinctive in the consumer’s mind (D).
The importance of holistic marketing, and the need to excel in all three R.E.D. areas.
The conflict between modern marketing science and old-school marketing beliefs.
Cultural Relevance: How to understand where culture is, where it’s headed and how to make your brand part of a trend.
Distinctiveness: The area where many marketers are least connected, and the area that could provide the most immediate ROI.
Ease: The pitfalls faced by marketers who don’t consider ease to be part of their jobs.
Muench, Creed and their teams developed the systematic approach of R.E.D. Marketing, which has been successfully applied by Yum! marketers around the world and by Collider Lab, a strategy, branding and innovation consultancy acquired by Yum! Brands in 2015. Collider Lab is Yum!’s global marketing center of excellence, led by Muench.
All proceeds from R.E.D. Marketing will be donated to The Yum! Brands Foundation, which is committed to unlocking opportunity in people and in communities where they work and live. The Foundation assists employees who give back to organizations that are important to them, supports local communities through grants and volunteerism, and provides assistance for disaster recovery.
