Grubhub’s Marnie Kain on standing out in a crowded market

The food-delivery company’s VP of brand discusses the business’ 20-year history and how it stays front of mind for consumers.

Episode Transcript

Please note, this transcript  may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.

Damian: I'm Damian Fowler

Ilyse: And I'm Ilyse Liffreing. 

Damian: And welcome to this edition of The Current Podcast.

Ilyse: This week, we're delighted to talk with Marnie Kain, the VP of Brand and Creative at Grubhub.

Damian: Grubhub recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. It was founded in Chicago in 2004, and it was the pioneer food delivery service. A forerunner to the booming e commerce delivery sector.

Ilyse: Two decades on, the business has scaled. It now has a 375, 000 restaurant partners in over 4, 000 U.S. cities.

Damian: Marnie joined the company in September 2023, just as it was planning its big birthday celebrations.

Ilyse: So Marnie, can you tell us about the challenge of marketing this brand, having joined just Grubhub in 2023?

Marnie: Well it was a very easy decision to make to go to Grubhub. I had spent a number of decades on the [00:01:00] agency side, working with clients across many different categories. And one thing I learned is that it's really fun to work in a category that you enjoy. And who doesn't love food and the delight and joy of delivery that it brings?

So I was able to really unmask my experience across many sectors like CPG, mass retail, QSR, casual dining, health and wellness. travel and so on and really bring that expertise and experience to the table to solve some really interesting challenges in a very crowded landscape.

Ilyse: Now, it is interesting with your background because, like you said, you've been across agencies for a long time. What would you say is the differentiating factor being brand side now?

Marnie: Well, being brand side you definitely have greater visibility to the complexities of the business. I think you [00:02:00] believe you understand that when you're on the agency side, but what you have visibility to is far less than what really goes on. And it is challenging to sell things in across the organization because there are many stakeholders, cross functional decision making and priorities that aren't necessarily brand marketing.

Ilyse: Now let's talk about Grubhub's marketing strategy a little. So the delivery service sector has become quite competitive as you know. As all consumers know, we have lots of choices. How do you think about differentiating Grubhub in this space and maintaining that market share

Marnie: We really look at it from a consumer standpoint and what's meaningful and relevant to our customers. What conveniences do they need? What are their pain points? What categories do they need delivery from? So we're [00:03:00] expanding even beyond restaurants into categories like grocery, convenience, and others that will soon come. So it's really about being in service of the customer and their needs.

As far as what is differentiating about us, it's really about tapping into and building upon what they see as valuable. So one of the biggest ways that we're offering value, outside of just everyday value that are always available on the app, are through partnerships like the one we have with Amazon.

Ilyse: Maybe you could tell us a little bit more about the partnership. Andhow Grubhub really works with brands and what platforms it chooses when it comes to those types of partnerships.

Marnie: Well, Amazon is a great example of really understanding what's important to consumers. Obviously, Amazon delivers pretty much everything, but what they [00:04:00] don't deliver is food from restaurants. And so the synergy between the two delivery giants is quite clear. The opportunity was to really bring added value to Amazon Prime customers, and that is what we've done. So our Amazon partnership