It’s Monday. Monday can mean a booked day: back-to-back classes, lots of homework and not a lot of free time. You’re looking for a quick lunch spot. Monday could also be your favorite day of the week. It could be the one day of the week that you actually have the most free time. You want to eat dinner in a welcoming environment where the food is guaranteed to be delicious and the service is even better. In both of these scenarios, whether it’s your worst day or the best when choosing between Chick-Fil-A and any other restaurant, which are you choosing and why is it Chick-Fil-A? If it’s the comfort in knowing you will be greeted with a smiling face or that your food will be fresh and you will get however many sauces you want, it all boils down to one thing: the way Chick-Fil-A is marketed. It’s marketed in a way that you learn to expect the best every time you go.
I spoke to Maddie Boyle: college student, self-proclaimed people-person and member of the marketing team of one of the busiest Chick-Fil-A’s in town. She gave me all of the inside scoops on the brains behind the marketing team of her Chick-Fil-A, and it’s quite fascinating.
Her Campus (HC): How did you start working with the marketing team?
Maddie Boyle (MB): I worked at my specific store for about four months before I became a part of its marketing team. The offer kind of fell into my lap, as one of our directors knew I was a marketing student and informed me of an opening on the marketing team. She set up an interview with me and the director of marketing. It was kind of exciting because 1) I was about to gain experience in my field of interest, and 2) I worked heavily in the operations of Chick-Fil-A so it was cool to get to see more of the company’s business side.
HC: What is your job like as a member of the marketing team?
MB: As a member of the marketing team, my tasks range from communicating with our store operationally, attending meetings twice a month to discuss store image and ideas and even participating in marketing photoshoots. It’s really fun. I love it! We get to send out rewards or post fun things on our social media pages. Things like posting on the Instagram story may seem like a minimal task, but you’d be surprised how far it can take the business.
For example, we once played a little game on our Instagram story where we posted pictures of some of our staff and asked our followers to guess their names. Not only was it fun to get to see their guesses, but it also gets our customers engaged with our store even from the comfort of their own homes!
HC: What have you learned while working on the marketing team?
MB: Being a part of such a popular store can be a bit stressful at times, but it’s important to keep in mind your target audience when making decisions. Know who you’re trying to reach and promote things in ways that get their attention, whether it’s the music you play in the background of stories or the social media you choose to post on. It is also important to remember that small decisions affect large groups of people, so you should always make the best one you can. And don’t forget that you represent your store.
HC: Any final thoughts?
MB: The opportunity I have to work in marketing at a company like Chick-Fil-A is something I truly cherish and take seriously as I hope to use it as a building block towards my future career. I’ve always considered myself to be very business-minded, so I knew one day I’d be involved in it. I love the focus of marketing, though, since it’s a very flexible career path and it is extremely people-oriented. I would recommend this career to anyone, but I’m a firm believer in doing whatever works for you. Also, eat lots of Chick-Fil-A! It’s good for the soul.
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