2022 Star Women in Convenience winner: Carolane Juanéda

Senior marketing manager, Fuel North America

Alimentation Couche-Tard

 

How did you get into this industry?

I’ve been working in marketing for more than seven years in different industries. ACT intrigued me. I was drawn by the repeat success of the company and its scale. I wanted to be part of this successful Quebec company that operates globally.

I had to learn quickly but I believe that with a good approach you can solve every business problem. There’s a product, a market and a distribution chain and you have to sell the product in order to make a profit. To sell the product, you must understand every aspect of your consumers: What they buy, why they buy it and find insights that will inform your marketing strategy.

Favourite thing about your job?

The culture fit. ACT is a fast-paced environment. You must be nimble and make big decisions with little information. Every day is different with new challenges, which is why I enjoy it so much. There’s also trust between colleagues in the organization. If it’s aligned with the category objectives and the ROI calculation makes sense, we’re open to try new – and sometimes crazy – ideas. We must try to learn and push boundaries to gain better results.

Biggest challenge?

Building the Circle K Fuel brand in North America as we rebrand from third party fuel brands to our own. Circle K has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a fuel brand, a pivotal moment in our brand trajectory. We get to take control of our brand’s future while the consumer will get to experience the Circle K brand at every touchpoint.

The challenge is that most consumers think ‘gas is gas’ and that the fueling experience is limited to location, quality, and price. My mission is to get consumers to expect more from their fueling experience at Circle K, by speaking about fuel in an authentic, relevant way. It’s about making fuel accessible to everyone by demystifying the traditional science around fuel. Fuel doesn’t have to be boring; it’s quite fun!

Best advice received? 

My dad always told me: “Control your emotions before taking action.” Over the years, I’ve learned to control my emotions when it comes to decision-making, leading to better outcomes, thanks to my dad’s advice.

Career highlight?

The chance to work on the first brand campaign of one of the most iconic brands. We worked with a neuroscientist in NYC to study the emotions our product was generating. We measured consumers’ brain activity. This work led to uncovering the need for a brand campaign. We had high ambitions within a short period, which made the project complex. The scale of the production was important, the casting was big, and we had many locations to shoot. I had to wear different hats and find solutions. It was a collective effort between our team and the agency that made it possible, so I share this achievement with them.

What are you most proud of? 

The work we did to bring more visibility to our Circle K Fuel brand and increase fuel gallons. We tried new ideas. We launched an ambassador program supporting our BUs across the US to further support site-level rebrand activity, giving away fuel coupon books and educating the customer about our fuel brand and premium benefits. We distributed more than four million coupons and 900 thousand coupons were activated. We also launched a national Win Free Fuel for a Year contest in the US, where we had 144 winners. The goal was to provide consumers a chance to save big on fuel and feel good about getting back on the road after the pandemic. It led to our best performing organic posts on social media of 2022. 

What excites you most about the future of this channel? 

It will be interesting to see how the channel will evolve, with technological tools that will make the consumer experience easier and faster. The pandemic accelerated the digital shift in the space, but it also showed us that efficiency, convenience and a wide range of products will remain priorities in the future. 

Leadership style?

I define myself as a creative leader who takes ownership of projects. For me, creativity means thinking big and differently. It’s a collective effort where we can have an honest, open dialogue and being unafraid to express unpopular opinions if it’s the right thing to do for our business. I also do my best to actively listen to what others say, and to seek feedback and constructive criticism from my colleagues to maximize the chance of success of our projects.