In an era where digital connectivity has blurred geographical boundaries, the challenge for multi-national corporations is no longer just about reaching a global audience, but about resonating with them on a local level. For Kerri Christian, the Senior Vice President of Marketing for International and Retail Channels at Focus Brands—recently rebranded as GoTo Foods—this challenge is the cornerstone of her daily operations. Overseeing a massive portfolio that includes iconic names such as Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Jamba, Carvel, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s, Christian manages the strategic direction of more than 2,000 locations across 50 countries. Her approach to international marketing offers a blueprint for how legacy brands can maintain a consistent global identity while embracing the specific cultural and consumer nuances of diverse markets.
The Evolution of Focus Brands and the Global Snack Industry
To understand the scale of Christian’s responsibilities, one must first look at the trajectory of Focus Brands. In early 2024, the parent company announced its rebranding to GoTo Foods, a move designed to reflect its evolution from a holding company of individual brands to a platform-based powerhouse focused on multi-brand growth and digital-first expansion. The company’s portfolio represents a significant slice of the global Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) and snack industry, which has seen a massive resurgence post-pandemic.
Industry data suggests that the global snack market is projected to reach over $700 billion by 2030, driven largely by urbanization and the increasing demand for "on-the-go" food options in emerging markets across Asia and the Middle East. For Christian, this growth represents an opportunity to take American-born brands like Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon and integrate them into the daily habits of consumers from Dubai to New Delhi. However, this expansion is not merely a matter of opening doors; it requires a sophisticated understanding of brand management that Christian honed during her formative years in the industry.
The Foundation of Brand Leadership: "The Consumer is Boss"
Christian’s marketing philosophy is rooted in her early career at Procter & Gamble (P&G), a company legendary for its rigorous approach to brand management. At P&G, she learned the fundamental tenet that "the consumer is boss." This principle dictates that every strategic decision, from product development to advertising imagery, must be filtered through the lens of the consumer’s unmet needs and motivations.
"Understanding the unmet needs that motivate your target audience to buy a product or service is at the core of what we do," Christian explains. This foundation has proven vital as she transitioned into global roles where the "consumer" is not a monolith but a collection of distinct cultural identities. In the QSR sector, where taste and convenience are paramount, the P&G-style discipline allows Christian to separate what is "true" about a brand from what is "flexible."
The Strategy of Glocalization: Consistency vs. Relevance
The central tension in global marketing is the balance between global consistency and local relevance—a concept often referred to as "glocalization." For a brand like Cinnabon, the "core truth" is the sensory experience: the aroma of cinnamon and the warmth of the roll. These elements must remain consistent whether a customer is in a mall in Atlanta or a transit hub in Tokyo.
However, Christian argues that the execution of these truths must be localized. "The role of a global team is to be very clear on what is fundamentally true about the brand and the experience we want consumers to have," she says. "But how we bring that to life cannot always be one-size-fits-all."
This strategy involves providing local franchise partners with a strong strategic framework while granting them the autonomy to adapt marketing tactics. For instance, while the core product remains the same, the marketing imagery might feature local talent, the digital platforms might utilize local payment gateways, and the flavor profiles might be adjusted to suit regional palates. A prime example is the expansion of Moe’s Southwest Grill into India, where menu items must be adapted to local dietary preferences, such as a greater emphasis on vegetarian options, while maintaining the brand’s "Southwest" spirit.
Case Study: Scaling the Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon Global Partnership
The effectiveness of Christian’s "glocal" approach is currently being tested through the launch of Auntie Anne’s largest-ever international partnership. This initiative is particularly significant because it involves cross-brand collaboration, bringing the Cinnabon portfolio into the fold across more than 20 international markets.
In her role as executive sponsor for this partnership, Christian focused on ensuring that the brand proposition was clear enough to travel across borders but flexible enough to be "business-building" for local franchisees. For a global activation to succeed, Christian identifies several prerequisites:
- Alignment of Leadership: Market leaders must be unified in the story they are telling.
- Flexibility in Execution: Local markets need the room to make the idea feel authentic to their specific guest base.
- Mutual Benefit: The campaign must create a "win" for the guests, the franchisees, and the parent brand simultaneously.
This partnership marks a shift in how GoTo Foods leverages its international scale. By treating its brands as a collective portfolio rather than siloed entities, the company can command greater market presence and offer more diverse options to consumers in high-growth regions.
Mitigating Risk in International Communications
One of the most significant risks in global marketing is the "translation trap"—the assumption that a successful domestic campaign can be exported without modification. Christian emphasizes that language is only the tip of the iceberg. Cultural references, imagery, and even the way consumers interact with digital media can vary wildly.
To mitigate these risks, Christian’s team utilizes a rigorous "pre-flight" process for global activations. They involve local teams early in the development phase to answer critical questions:
- Does the creative imagery resonate with local cultural norms?
- Are the promotional channels (e.g., WhatsApp vs. Instagram vs. TikTok) appropriate for the specific market?
- Is the tone of voice consistent with how local consumers expect to be spoken to by a food brand?
By identifying potential cultural friction points before a campaign goes live, Focus Brands avoids the costly mistakes that have plagued other multinational corporations in the past. This proactive collaboration fosters a sense of ownership among local franchisees, who are more likely to invest in a campaign they helped shape.
Beyond the Restaurant: The Retail and CPG Frontier
A key component of Christian’s role is overseeing retail channels, which involves taking brands like Cinnabon and Jamba out of the food court and onto grocery store shelves. This omnichannel approach is essential for modern brand survival. According to market research, "licensed" food products—such as Cinnabon-flavored cereal or Auntie Anne’s frozen pretzels—serve as a powerful marketing tool that keeps the brand "top of mind" during everyday moments.
Christian’s task is to ensure that these retail products feel familiar to the restaurant experience while fitting the specific requirements of the retail environment. This requires a different set of marketing muscles, focusing on packaging design, shelf-placement strategy, and the logistics of consumer packaged goods (CPG). By meeting customers "wherever they are," Focus Brands creates a self-reinforcing ecosystem where retail purchases drive restaurant visits and vice versa.
Leadership Philosophy: Curiosity and the Servant Model
Beyond strategy and data, Christian attributes much of her success to a leadership style defined by curiosity and service. In a rapidly changing retail landscape—defined by the rise of AI, shifting delivery models, and evolving health trends—Christian believes that the most effective leaders are those who remain perpetual students.
"Change is constant," Christian notes. "The leaders who continue to listen, ask questions, adapt, and lead their teams through the shift are the ones who differentiate themselves."
Her commitment to community service also plays a role in her professional decision-making. By adopting a "servant leader" model, she prioritizes the needs of her franchisees and teams, recognizing that their success is the company’s success. This perspective is particularly important in a franchise-heavy model like that of GoTo Foods, where the corporate office must act as a support system for independent business owners around the world.
Conclusion: The Future of Global Brand Management
As Kerri Christian continues to steer the international growth of GoTo Foods, her work serves as a testament to the power of structured flexibility. The ability to maintain the "soul" of a brand while allowing its "body" to adapt to local environments is the hallmark of modern marketing excellence.
With plans to expand Moe’s into India and continue the rollout of multi-brand international kiosks, the roadmap for Focus Brands is clear: growth through local relevance. For communicators and marketers looking to take their brands across borders, Christian’s experience offers a vital lesson: the most successful global ideas are those that feel like they were made just for you, no matter where in the world "you" happen to be. In the competitive world of global snacks and QSR, the brands that win will be those that master the delicate art of giving global scale a local heart.
