Menulog coy on NZ marketing plans

EditorQ+A, News Make a Comment

NZ takeaway platform Menulog’s marketing programme is to reinforce its position in the NZ food delivery industry, which it helped pioneer. But Rory Murphy, the company’s Sydney-based ANZ commercial director was strangely coy about the details in a brief email exchange with M+AD.

Menulog is New Zealand’s largest and leading platform for online and mobile takeaway, with more than 500 restaurants across the country, from Whangarei to Milford.

“Following the acquisition of the Menulog Group by UK food delivery giant Just Eat in 2015, and the company’s recent rebrand in New Zealand, Menulog is looking to expand its offering for both local businesses and consumers,” according to Menulog’s Sydney PR firm, The Ideas Suite, when it offered us an interview with Murphy, who is touring NZ.

Naturally, M+AD wanted more details of the company’s marketing and advertising plans – currently it has no ad agency on either side of the Tasman. “Mr Murphy can talk to topics, including Menulog’s market positioning,” said the PR firm.

This is what we got …

Does Menulog have an NZ agency? PR firm?

Not at this stage. Marketing and Communications is currently managed by the regional team out of the head office in Sydney. However we will have some more exciting news on about the New Zealand team, which we’ll be in a position to share over the coming months.

What are the new owners’ marketing plans for NZ?

Menulog has operated in the region for more than 10 years, pioneering the food delivery market in both Australia and New Zealand. The acquisition of Menulog by Just Eat not only cemented the brand’s position as a global leader but opened up greater opportunities to expand locally.

Growing the Menulog offering for New Zealanders is a key focus for this quarter and into 2017. From the number of restaurants, to cuisine types, to delivery options to when and how people can order, Menulog offers unparalleled scale in New Zealand and will only continue to grow.

With more than 500 restaurants already on the platform, no one offers more variety when it comes to bringing people food. However our focus for New Zealand is to partner with more local restaurants and much-loved food and drink brands to continue to bring Kiwis fresh ways to experience the meals they love, at more moments throughout the day.

In turn, we’ll connect these local restaurants with an extensive database of active consumers, driving sales as well as providing local businesses with key insights and local trends to help grow their business.

With service areas across the country, major cities including Auckland and Wellington will be our first focus for marketing activity.

Tell us more about the rebrand in NZ?

Menulog has been in operation for more than 10 years; needless to say the business has changed and grown significantly in that time. We relaunched the brand for the first time in May 2016 to represent an exciting new direction for Menulog in New Zealand. The brand re-launch saw us roll out a new-look website and app, with significant updates, new features and functionality.

We wanted the new brand to bring food back to the individual and make food experiences delightfully personal. We did this under the theme ‘What do you feel like?’, playing to the wealth of choice of restaurants and cuisines people can order through our platform.

The new online platform and app now features optimised design and improved user experience for both customers and restaurants, including two-tap re-order for returning customers, a new and improved checkout experience, simplified navigation and a fresh, modern look and feel.

However this is just the beginning; we are constantly innovating and trialling new technology to make ordering via Menulog a simple, seamless and enjoyable experience for all New Zealanders.

Thank you.


Share this Post