How Red Robin Is Winning More Customers Per Dollar Of Ad Spend (ft. Richard Leslie, Surface Agency)

<p>In this episode, Lyden Foust is joined by Richard Leslie, president of Surface Agency, to explore a new playbook for multi-unit restaurant marketing. Richard breaks down how his team blends customer segmentation, unit-level economics, and geo-targeted media to build bottom‑up strategies that reflect the reality of each trade area. They talk through using mobile location data, k-means clustering, and predictive “next best action” models to identify high-value guests, optimize media spend across channels, and tailor creative to specific neighborhood clusters—ultimately closing the loop between data, local insights, and performance.</p><p>Chapters:</p><p>(00:00) Introduction to Surface Agency and Richard Leslie</p><p>(03:30) The Evolution of Marketing Disciplines</p><p>(06:36) Understanding Niche Audiences and Cultural Marketing</p><p>(09:27) The Role of Influencer Marketing in Brand Strategy</p><p>(12:25) Transitioning to Client-Side Marketing</p><p>(15:25) The Birth of Surface Agency and Its Unique Approach</p><p>(18:25) Leveraging Mobile Location Data for Marketing</p><p>(21:15) Case Study: Red Robin’s Marketing Strategy</p><p>(24:25) Building a Bottom-Up Marketing System(30:59) Understanding Customer Segmentation and Engagement</p><p>(32:39) Data-Driven Insights for Actionable Strategies</p><p>(36:07) Leveraging K-Means Clustering for Marketing Efficiency</p><p>(39:32) Next Best Actions: Predictive Analytics in Action</p><p>(42:52) Achieving Marketing Efficiency Through Local Insights</p><p>(46:24) Optimizing Media Spend Across Channels</p><p>(48:36) Tailoring Creative Strategies for Targeted Clusters</p><p>(53:57) Closing the Loop: Integrating Data with Ground Insights</p><p>Learn more about Richard Leslie and Surface Agency: <a href="https://surfaceagency.co">https://surfaceagency.co</a></p><p>Listen to Consumer Code on:<br>Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4JC25NQkp67rVuYpyuf9xz">https://open.spotify.com/show/4JC25NQkp67rVuYpyuf9xz</a> |<br>Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/consumer-code/id1772758327">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/consumer-code/id1772758327</a> |<br>YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxwr-W_NFC9Du0e3BpCpErLdW9Db4XsFA">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxwr-W_NFC9Du0e3BpCpErLdW9Db4XsFA</a></p><p>Follow Lyden Foust on:<br>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydenfoust/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydenfoust/</a> |<br>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instag