Jill McDonald scoops Marketer of the Year award

by Nicola Clark, Marketing 10-Jun-08, 08:30

LONDON - Jill McDonald, McDonald's senior vice-president and chief marketing officer, UK and Northern Europe, has won the prestigious Marketer of the Year prize at this year's Marketing Society Awards for Excellence.

The award, voted for by Marketing readers, reflects a strong year for the fast-food retailer, which has embraced a more open approach to marketing alongside a successful store redesign programme.

McDonald has had a huge influence on the restaurant chain since her arrival in May 2006. She has become the public face of the brand in the UK and has spoken across a range of media outlets about the brand's commitments to food quality and CSR.

In 2007, McDonald's recorded its best sales for 10 years. More than 88m visits were made to its UK branches last December, up nearly 10m year on year, and an additional 320,000 customers visited its 1200 high-street restaurants and drive-throughs.

ICI Paints' Dulux brand was awarded the Grand Prix for its work, including the 'We know the colours that go' campaign, which led to an upsurge in consumers' estimation of the brand and it becoming the global leader in the decorative paints market.