Ep 106: Christian Kuhn is the Chief Marketing Officer for Blaze Pizza

There is always space for learning and innovating; regardless of how old you or your brand are! Today on Clicks 2 Bricks we are joined by the new CMO at Blaze Pizza, Christian Kuhn to discuss the exciting changes he has incited at the company. Tuning in, you’ll hear about Christian’s fascinating career and some fun facts about him we may not have known, how Blaze Pizza was prepared for his arrival, how the company has evolved since we last heard about them on the show, and how Christian kickstarted his work there. We delve into what is driving change at the brand before Christian outlines some of the exciting new menu changes and reminds us that change can be small and simple. We even discuss their incredible Pie-oneer Program, hear about the Trail Blazing Pie-oneers, find out about their tech stack, how they are adapting their loyalty program, franchise marketing challenges, and how they are driving foot traffic, and so much more! Finally, our guest shares some words of wisdom for anyone wanting to get into marketing and stresses the importance and benefit of mentorship. Thanks for listening in!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Welcoming Christian Kuhn to this episode of Clicks 2 Bricks.
• Christian tells us about his time working at the Pentagon and US Air Force PR Department. 
• How Blaze Pizza has evolved since new leadership took over and Christian joined.
• What was done to prepare the company in terms of marketing before Christian arrived. 
• Why Christian chose to meet with the Blaze leadership and learn about the business first. 
• Some of the dynamics at play driving the changes at Blaze Pizza. 
• Christian outlines the changes they have made to the Blaze Pizza menu. 
• The power of reinventing and adapting existing products to drive brand excitement. 
• What plans Christian has for the brand and all about their new Pie-oneer Program. 
• He tells us about some of the original Trail Blazing Pie-oneers and the cause it supports. 
• Why and how the Blaze Pizza tech stack is ambitious but too expensive and too complicated. 
• The importance of getting clear on what your loyalty program is for your brand. 
• Unique marketing challenges with all their outlying franchises and how they overcome them. 
• What’s driving foot traffic to their stores and why they prefer digital over traditional marketing. 
• How mentors have played a role in Christian’s career and the importance of listening. 
• Christian shares some advice for young people getting into marketing in 2024. 
• What’s coming next in the talent department at Blaze Pizza. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Christian Kuhn on LinkedIn

Blaze Pizza

Clicks 2 Bricks 

Marketing Leaders Coffee Chat