CMO Roundtable With The HTeaO Vice President of Marketing, Kelsey McManemin

How does your marketing department work with other internal departments to enhance your brand’s customer experience?

Kelsey McManemin
Vice President of Marketing
HTeaO

At HTeaO, cross-functional collaboration is central to creating a consistent and impactful customer experience. The marketing team works hand in hand with departments across the organization to ensure every campaign, product launch, and guest interaction is aligned with the brand’s values and vision.

Marketing plays a key role in franchise development and real estate by helping tell the story of the brand through thoughtfully crafted messaging, collateral, and digital assets. These materials are used to engage brokers and inspire potential franchisees. Social media, in particular, has become a powerful tool in this effort, generating qualified leads and serving as a window into the strength, culture, and momentum of the brand.

Marketing also partners closely with the store development team to shape the physical guest journey. From signage and building design to drive-thru boards and messaging in the online pickup area, every visual and verbal touchpoint is thoughtfully considered to reinforce the HTeaO experience.

Collaboration with operations is critical every day, especially during limited-time offers. Together, the teams ensure that the execution of in-store and drive-thru service aligns with the marketing calendar, brand standards, and evolving customer expectations. During promotions, operations and marketing align on team training, talking points, and rollout support to ensure the frontline team is prepared to deliver a consistent guest experience.

The IT team is an essential partner in maintaining and executing digital strategies. From uploading promotional assets to the app and website to managing loyalty program functionality and campaign performance dashboards, IT ensures that the backend infrastructure supports the brand’s growth and customer-engagement goals.

Finance supports campaign planning through performance analysis and budget alignment, helping identify the promotions that deliver strong ROI and guest value. Supply chain is equally vital to ensuring successful campaigns. Marketing and supply chain work in tandem to ensure readiness, from coordinating product availability for seasonal promotions, such as making sure gallon jugs are fully stocked for Easter, to sourcing special items, like pink straws for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (in partnership with the Ryan Palmer Foundation) or yellow straws in May for the brand’s Alex’s Lemonade Stand partnership.

Weekly leadership huddles, one-on-one check-ins, and shared tools, like Power BI, SmartSheets, Sigma, and FranConnect, help keep all departments informed and aligned. This level of collaboration allows HTeaO to move quickly, respond to guest feedback, and ensure every aspect of the customer journey reflects the energy and intentionality behind the brand.