Smashburger – “VP, National Marketing”
(Denver, CO)
Smashburger – Overview
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Smashburger is a fast-casual restaurant designed to be
“every city’s favorite burger place.” Developed and owned by private equity and concept development firm Consumer Capital Partners (CCP), Smashburger is engaged in the development of company and joint venture partner store development. In addition,
Smashburger has already sold franchise agreements totaling more than 500-plus locations over the next five years. The company, joint venture and franchise development deals are part of Smashburger’s national expansion plan to open 1,000+ restaurants across the U.S. and internationally, with more than 200 by the end of 2012. For those who crave a better burger experience, “Smashing is Better,” and Smashburger is working to create a very distinctive menu and dining experience. To learn more, visit www.smashburger.com
.
Smashburger is the country’s fastest growing, fast casual “better burger” restaurant. Its hand-crafted burgers are made with fresh, never frozen, 100% Certified Angus Beef, that are “smashed,” seared and seasoned on the grill to juicy perfection for every individual order. Guests can build their own burger masterpiece or enjoy one of Smashburger’s award winning signature recipes. Smashburger localizes its menu in every market including a unique burger and often chicken sandwiches, sides and shakes—that highlight the distinctive flavors of that region. Smashburger also serves tender marinated grilled or crispy chicken sandwiches, black bean veggie burger, grilled and split hot dogs, freshly prepared entrée salads, kids’ meals, and an array of signature sides along with handspun Häagen-
Dazs shakes and local beer. Developed and owned by private equity firm Consumer Capital
Partners (CCP), Smashburger operates and develops both corporate and multi-unit franchise territories across the country with 152 restaurants in 25 states nationwide. Smashburger topped Forbes America’s Most Promising Company list in 2011 and was also named to the
2011 Inc. 500 list. It is the recipient of the International Council of Shopping Centers 2011
Hot Retailer Award. To learn more, visit www.smashburger.com
.
Position Overview
The “VP, National Marketing” position is a new position within Smashburger, focused on developing and executing Smashburger’s National Marketing plans—
specifically, Advertising, Media (Paid, Earned, Owned) and Promotions. This position will manage a small, internal staff, as well as national Advertising, Media and Promotion agency partners. The Smashburger brand is well-positioned today, but with more than 500 new store commitments already locked-in, this “VP, National Marketing” will need to work closely and rapidly, on a national scale to create and execute plans that drive Smashburger brand awareness, initial traffic (trial), and an incredible guest experience that stimulates buzz, grass-roots recommendations, and loyal Smashburger followers. The new “VP” will need to bring an analytical Marketing capability that offers both traditional and emerging tools, and they must have an appetite to help build something truly special.
© 2012 Wiser Partners, LLC

Smashburger ~ “VP, National Marketing” Page 2 of 5
Scope of Responsibilities
 National Marketing Planning – Primary responsibility for working with the Smashburger team—and with critical input from franchisees—to coordinate and establish annual
National Marketing plans, across the complete Marketing mix, with a specific focus on the
National level (another Marketing VP handles Regional and Local Marketing). These plans need to be creative, impactful, practical, actionable, and they must be designed to deliver the financial plan while remaining on-budget.
 National Advertising, Media and Promotion – Primary responsibility for developing the brand’s national creative strategy, and working closely with the company’s agencies to bring that strategy to life with compelling, brand-building advertising and other forms and channels of communication (including web and in-store). Additionally, responsible for developing a national media plan (including strategies for Paid Media, Earned/Social
Media, and Owned/In-Store Media), and working closely with agencies to deploy all national media strategically, and with a highly analytical eye towards ROI. This includes managing the national advertising trust. Also responsible for developing and executing the company’s national promotion calendar, including designing and activating specific promotions to drive traffic and support overall brand and product messaging.
 Market Level Strategies & Planning – Primary responsibility for developing optimal media and promotion models for markets, based on market profile and conditions, as well as leading testing and analytics to identify highest ROI initiatives. Planning to include input of VP, Regional and Local Marketing.
 Digital Marketing – Primary or supplemental responsibility for developing and executing
Smashburger’s Digital Marketing efforts, including Display, Affiliates, Re-Targeting, SEO,
SEM, and Social Media. Again, depending on the background of the new “VP, National
Marketing,” they will either lead this important area of the mix, or they will collaborate with others on the team to maximize Digital effectiveness.
 Agency Management – Oversee the agency relationships for Advertising, Digital,
Promotion and In-Store.
 High-Performing Team – Hire, train and oversee a team of skilled Marketers and help contribute to a brand/customer-driven Marketing culture within Smashburger.

Performance Measures
Delivering critical brand health measurements (Awareness, Trial, Repeat/Frequency)
 Delivering critical brand equity measures (built around the food, and the experience)
 Delivering sales results through the national Marketing/Promotion calendar
 Successful agency relationships and management
 Successful team building with direct reports
 Helping to deliver financial objectives (Revenue/AUV, EBITDA, Budget/annual plan)
 Other personal MBO’s (to be determined)
© 2012 Wiser Partners, LLC

Smashburger ~ “VP, National Marketing” Page 3 of 5
Reporting Relationships
In terms of a day-to-day manager, the new “VP, National Marketing” will report
directly to Jeremy Morgan, SVP of Marketing & Consumer Insights. Jeremy has been with Smashburger for 2 years, initially serving as VP of Strategy prior to taking on his current role as head of the Marketing team. Jeremy has 9 years of Strategy experience in
Retail and B2C brands. Prior to joining Smashburger, Jeremy was a Case Team Leader with
Bain & Company in Chicago. While at Bain, he worked with Retail and other consumeroriented companies on Strategy consulting engagements, including pricing/promotions optimization, customer/market research and M&A due diligence. Before joining Bain, Jeremy was an associate in the Corporate Strategy group at JPMorganChase. He earned his MBA in
Marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and holds a
B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in Computer Science from Duke University.
Additionally, the new “VP, National Marketing” will have significant exposure to the Smashburger Brand Committee, which is comprised of:
 Mr. Tom Ryan, Founder
 Mr. David Prokupek, Chairman/CEO
 Mr. Steve Schiffman, Board Member
Staff
The new “VP, National Marketing” will initially be responsible for managing a small team of 2
Marketers who are responsible for executing against all national Marketing (One Marketing
Director in charge of national programs, one Marketing Director charge of analytics)
Additionally, as the Smashburger business scales, and the demands of the business grow, so will the Corporate Marketing department and the company’s roster of retained agencies.
Critical Operating Relationships
 Chairman/CEO (David Prokupek)
 Founder (Tom Ryan)


President/Head of Operations (Greg Creighton)
CFO (Chris Chang)
 Franchise Owners & Operators
 Agency Partners o Advertising (Cactus Communications) o PR (ICR) o In-Store (Moseley)
Compensation & Benefits
 Competitive base salary
 Annual performance bonus
 401K
 Comprehensive benefits
 Vacation
 Relocation assistance to Denver, CO area
© 2012 Wiser Partners, LLC

Smashburger ~ “VP, National Marketing” Page 4 of 5
Candidate Profile
Experience Base
 QSR/Casual Dining – Experience must include Brand or Field/Local Marketing within a multi-unit QSR or Casual Dining operation (e.g., YUM Brands, McDonald’s, Darden).



Alternatively, Brand, National Marketing or Field Marketing experience within a multi-unit, franchised retail footprint, a significant distributor network, a multi-tiered distribution system, or a franchised business:
 Health Clubs/Fitness Centers
 Apparel, Footwear, Fashion
 Wireless/Telco
 Consumer Electronics
 Weight Management
 Beverage Alcohol
 CPG Brand and/or Trade Marketing – Ideal, but not required, would be early platform experience with blue-chip, market-leading company (e.g., Procter & Gamble, General Mills,
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, Kraft, Nabisco ) would be a nice foundational experience for this role.
Broad Marketing Toolkit – Wide experience across the entire traditional (and emerging) consumer Marketing mix  Research and Insights, Brand Positioning, Product and Concept
Development, Advertising and PR, Promotion, Events, Social Media, and the Web.
Digital Marketing – Candidates should have recent experience developing Digital
Marketing plans to drive that business, with an understanding of current agencies/suppliers). Must be skilled with a variety of Interactive/Digital Marketing tools, including E-Mail, Display Advertising, Affiliate, SEO/SEM, Social Media, and Mobile.
Early-Stage Venture – Ideally, experience with a start-up/early-stage entrepreneurial business, or a successful turn-around situation, is highly desired (proven success and results with limited resources  people, money, time). This would ideally be with a younger, more progressive brand that is disruptive in its market, with a Marketing approach that is cutting-edge.
 Organization Development – Demonstrated success building organizational capabilities through process design, organizational development, recruiting, training, strategic outsourcing, contracting.
Skill Set
 Listening skills (listen first, then respond)
 Intellectual horsepower & curiosity (highly analytical & strategic)
 Strong relationship management and interpersonal skills (high EQ)
 Influencing (proven ability to persuade others towards an idea or goal)
 Negotiation skills (proven ability to seek and close the right deals)
 Complex problem-solving (create options, then converge)
 Innovative and creative thinking (need fresh thinking)


Highly resourceful (stretches people and money; compresses time)
Organized and attention-to-detail approach (strong tactical execution)
© 2012 Wiser Partners, LLC

Smashburger ~ “VP, National Marketing”
Personality Profile
 Results focused team player; collaborative and inclusive
 Energized by an entrepreneurial environment
 Hands-on (comfortable “doing the work”)
 Entrepreneurial spirit and work habits
 Persistent and resilient
 Open, honest and genuine
 Passionate and committed
 Creative and imaginative
 Relationship oriented vs. transaction oriented
 Motivated by business accomplishments vs. personal agenda
Search Contact
David Wiser
Principal Partner – Cincinnati, OH Office david@wiserpartners.com
513.919.4000 (M)
File: Position Specification/Smashburger/Smashburger VP National Mktg Spec (08 08 12-F-DW)
Page 5 of 5
© 2012 Wiser Partners, LLC