Chapter 01: Chaos to Clarity
The Evolution of Marketing Frameworks
Marketing is chaos. A swirling mess of tactics, strategies, and self-proclaimed gurus shouting from the rooftops about the next big thing. (The irony of me being one of those is not lost on me.) One expert swears by SEO, another by TikTok dances, a third by loyalty apps — each promising a silver bullet to pack your dining rooms or flood your delivery orders. For multi-unit restaurant brand leaders, this noise is deafening. You’re not just picking a playlist for Location 1; you’re juggling menus, margins, and managers across 3 — or 20 — spots, all while trying to grow without losing your soul. Into this madness, frameworks were born. They’re not magic wands; they’re maps — tools to cut through the clutter, make sense of how guests think, and guide your brand from obscurity to obsession. But here’s the catch: most of these maps were drawn for a world that’s long gone, leaving you lost in a jungle of fickle patrons who don’t play by yesterday’s rules. Let’s unpack the big ones — The Marketing Funnel, Google’s Messy Middle, Brand Intimacy, Jab Jab Jab Right Hook, and R.E.D. Marketing — to see where they came from, what they offer, and why they’re cracking under today’s pressure.
First, the heavyweight champ: The Marketing Funnel. It’s the granddaddy of marketing models, cooked up in 1898 by E. St. Elmo Lewis with his AIDA formula — Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action. Imagine a Victorian shopkeeper in a bowler hat, peddling tonics to a crowd with nowhere else to go. You’d hook ’em with a loud pitch (awareness), spin a tale about curing aches (interest), make ’em dream of vigor (desire), and watch ’em line up with coins (action). It was a conveyor belt for sales, and it ruled the 20th century. For restaurants, it became the gospel: plaster “Grand Opening” signs to get noticed, mail coupons to spark interest, run a radio spot with a jingle folks hum, and count the heads at the door. It worked because life was simple — guests had one diner in town, maybe two competitors tops. The funnel promised control: herd ’em in, push ’em down, cash out. But today? It’s a museum piece. Your patrons aren’t cattle — they’re dodging a thousand options, and that chute’s too tight for their wild dance.
That’s where Google’s Messy Middle crashes the party. In 2020, Google’s researchers mapped what’s really happening between a craving and a choice, and it ain’t pretty — or linear. They call it the “messy middle” — a chaotic sprawl where patrons explore and evaluate in loops, not lines. Say a guest in your Unit 7 market gets a burger itch. They don’t see your ad and march to the counter. They hit Google, skim X for buzz, check your Instagram, then text a buddy, “You tried that new place?” They might love your fries at Unit 3 but still bounce around rival reviews before ordering. Google found this mess isn’t just for newbies — loyal fans loop back too, rethinking choices with every new tidbit. For multi-unit leaders, it’s a wake-up call: your “awareness” budget’s wasted if guests are already knee-deep in their own research. The funnel’s neat stages — poof, gone. Patrons don’t climb; they spiral.
Now, shift gears to Brand Intimacy, a softer take from MBLM. This isn’t about pushing sales — it’s about pulling hearts. They say brands grow by building emotional ties, not just transactions. Picture three stages: sharing (they know you exist), bonding (they like you), fusing (they’re ride-or-die). It’s less a roadmap and more a feeling. For restaurants, this sings — think of that patron who doesn’t just grab your sandwich but posts it with a heart emoji, tells their barber it’s the best in town, feels like you’re their secret. It’s powerful because today’s guests want more than food — they want a vibe, a tribe. But here’s the hitch: it’s squishy. How do you “fuse” when you’re scaling from 3 to 20 units, each with its own quirks? Brand Intimacy nails the why — love beats a coupon — but skimps on the how for a stretched-thin operator.
Enter Gary Vaynerchuk with Jab Jab Jab Right Hook, a brawler’s guide to marketing. Gary’s all about rhythm: give, give, give, then ask. Jabs are freebies — post a recipe, drop a funny reel, share a staffer’s story. The right hook’s the sell — book a table, order now. It’s built for the social media age, where guests scroll X or TikTok 24/7. For multi-unit brands, it’s a no-brainer: tease a new dish from Unit 9 (jab), spotlight a line cook’s hustle (jab), give a shoutout to a loyal guest (jab), then push a weekend deal (hook). It’s scrappy and fun, and it lands punches where the funnel’s too stiff. But it’s got a flaw: it’s episodic. Gary’s hooks assume you time the ask, but today’s patrons don’t wait — they’re craving wings at 1 a.m., picking you (or not) on their clock, not yours.
Last up, R.E.D. Marketing from Greg Creed and Ken Muench, two former YUM Brands leaders with a history of wins in their wakes. R.E.D. stands for Relevance, Ease, Distinction, and it’s less a journey and more a checklist. Be relevant (match their late-night taco need), make it easy (one-tap ordering), stand out (your vibe beats the chain down the street). It’s slick and practical — perfect for a multi-unit leader who needs Location 15 to shine amid a sea of sameness. Imagine a guest in a new market: they’re scrolling, starving, and your app pops up with a deal, a clear menu, and a quirky tagline. R.E.D. says that’s the win. It’s flexible, letting you adapt across units, but it’s also vague — a set of rules without a game plan. You’re still stitching it together while patrons zig and zag.
So where does this leave us? These frameworks have their sparks. The Messy Middle exposes the chaos, Brand Intimacy feels the pulse, Jab Jab Jab Right Hook throws well-timed “punches,” R.E.D. Marketing sharpens edges. Each have their influential place within marketing theory, but none of them really land a holistic path to effective marketing. More importantly, is the state of the Marketing Funnel.
The Marketing Funnel is the anchor dragging us down. It’s blind to a world where guests juggle a million choices, dodge your “eblast” like a bad blind date, and pick brands that get them, not push them. It’s stuck in a 1900s fantasy — few options, captive ears, brands on top. Today, your multi-unit empire’s fighting a different beast: fickle patrons who loop through decisions, crave connection, and ditch you if you shout instead of listen.
That’s why the funnel’s dead — and why we need something new. These other models hint at pieces, but none glue it together for a leader scaling from 3 to 20+ units in this mess. Enter the APC Model: Attract, Promote, Cultivate. It’s not a fix-it patch; it’s a full reboot, built for how patrons move and what they want now. We’ll unpack it next, but for now, know this: the old maps are burning. Time to draw a new one.
