86 the Chaos!

A Chef's Guide to 'Mise en Marketing'

Want to know what's really cooking in that marketing plan of yours??

Step into a professional kitchen for a minute.?

Not the manufactured drama you see on reality TV (though we love you, Hell's Kitchen), but the beautiful ballet of efficiency you'll find in places like Jiro's sushi sanctuary or Carmy's reformed chaos in The Bear.?

Their secret sauce?

Mise en place - 'everything in its place.' It's the philosophy that transformed cooking from chaos to craft, and spoiler alert: it's about to do the same for your marketing.

Because the intensity of a professional kitchen hums with the same electric energy your marketing command center needs.?

• That precision making every plate Instagram-worthy? That's your campaign accuracy.?
• The creative flow in Julia Child's workspace? That's your innovation pipeline.?

This isn't just another marketing methodology - this is ‘Mise en Marketing’, and we're about to turn up the heat.

Remember when Salt Fat Acid Heat dropped into our lives and suddenly everyone was talking about the science behind their sourdough starter? Marketing's having its own taste-awakening moment.?

Samin Nosrat broke down cooking into essential components; and we're about to do the same for marketing - because let's face it, when your buyers "can't see you," you might as well be serving an empty plate at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Enter the FEAST framework - our latest evolution in the Mise en Marketing kitchen.?

Think of it as your mise en place for next-gen marketing … where Fine-tuned strategy meets Engagement, Authenticity, Storytelling, and Timing.?

Like Top Chef contestants facing a mystery box challenge, today's marketers need to adapt, create, and deliver experiences that wow increasingly sophisticated audiences.?

Consider this your chef's table experience.

The Prep Station: Where IDEAL Meets POISE

Let's talk prep work - and no, I don't mean another two-hour planning meeting that could've been an email.?

Think about Chef Jiro and his rice preparation. The man spent decades perfecting something most of us toss in an Instant Pot. That's the level of intention we're after.

Your IDEAL framework (Identify, Discover, Engage, Amplify, Leverage) isn't just another acronym to add to your marketing alphabet soup - it's your prep list.

And POISE (Personalization, Omnichannel, Innovation, Strategy, Emotional Intelligence)?

That's your perfectly arranged mise en place.?

Together, they're the difference between serving up marketing magic and just adding to the digital noise.

In our kitchen of commerce (yes, I went there), your data is your mise en place, your channels are your cooking methods, and your strategy is your recipe.?

But here's the thing about ingredients - even truffles taste terrible if you don't know what you're doing with them.

Course One: Fine-Tuned Strategy

Watch any episode of Chef's Table and you'll see that culinary vision isn't just about having fancy ingredients - it's knowing exactly what to do with them.?

Your marketing strategy needs that same clear vision - combining the precision of a well-crafted recipe with the confidence to riff when the moment calls for it.

Take Community's SMS platform success - they're not just throwing messages into the void.

By treating each text like a perfectly timed amuse-bouche (small, purposeful, and precisely calibrated), they're hitting 98% open rates and 45% click-throughs.

That's not luck; that's mise en place in action.

Course Two: Engagement

Julie Powell didn't just cook her way through Julia Child's recipes - she created a movement.?

Each blog post built connections, sparked conversations, and yes, eventually landed a Meryl Streep movie.?

Your engagement strategy should aim for that same kind of organic relationship building.

Take inspiration from Bourdain's 'Parts Unknown' - the man never just showed us food; he showed us humanity through food. Every episode built anticipation not just for the meals, but for the stories and connections waiting to be discovered.?

When your audience follows your marketing journey, they should feel that same sense of adventure and revelation.

Look at how Spotify Wrapped turned listening data into a cultural moment. They didn't just report statistics - they created an annual celebration that has people refreshing their apps like they're waiting for a reservation at Dorsia.

Course Three: Authenticity

Remember Remy from Ratatouille? The rat had principles (never thought I'd write that sentence).?

But Remy’s unwavering commitment to quality wasn't just cartoon fantasy - it's your brand voice playbook.?

Fair Indigo's "97 Hands" campaign gets this. By showcasing the actual artisans behind their garments, they scored a 40% bump in customer retention and 25% more repeat purchases.?

Turns out authenticity isn't just good karma - it's good business.

And speaking of genuine approaches, look at Phil Rosenthal in "Somebody Feed Phil." The man approaches every culture with the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy store and the respect of a diplomat.?

That's your B2A- Business to Anyone blueprint right there - treating each customer segment like Phil treats a new city's cuisine.

Course Four: Storytelling

The Great British Bake Off isn't just about watching people stress over proving time (though that's oddly addictive). It's about how journeys from self-doubt to Star Baker, like Nadiya Hussain’s, have us all crying into our soggy bottoms.?

That's storytelling gold.?

When your content strategy is eyeing that $2 billion market by 2032, remember: metrics matter, but stories move mountains - and marketing budgets.

Look at what "Chef's Table: Pizza" did, for example. They took something as ubiquitous as pizza and turned each episode into a love letter to craftsmanship.?

Your brand story needs that same secret sauce - the human elements that make your solution not just unique, but unforgettable.?

Nobody dreams about KPIs, but they'll remember why you started your company in your garage (or, let's be honest, your overpriced WeWork).

Course Five: Timing

Listen, timing in marketing is like timing a soufflé - too early, it's not ready; too late, it's a mess.?

And just like Ray Kroc revolutionized fast food by standardizing the exact moment those fries hit the oil, you need to nail the timing of every customer touchpoint.?

The difference??

Your timing needs to be more "personalized tasting menu" than "drive-thru efficiency."

When your buyers are "calling the shots" (and trust me, they are), your timing game needs to be sharper than a Global knife.

Think about how "Cake Boss" times each element of those gravity-defying creations - one layer out of sync, and the whole thing collapses.?

Your customer journey touchpoints need that same precision, minus the fondant.

The Plating: B2A Excellence

Business to Anyone (B2A) isn't just another acronym to throw around at quarterly reviews - it's your signature dish.?

Think about Massimo Bottura's "Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano." The man took cheese at different stages of aging and turned it into a conversation about time, tradition, and innovation.?

That's what your B2A marketing should do: take fundamental concepts and transform them into experiences that resonate whether you're reaching a CEO at dawn or a Gen Z developer at midnight.

This is where your IDEAL framework and POISE principles come together like a perfectly executed fusion dish.?

Each customer interaction should feel like that moment when the server lifts the cloche and the perfect dish appears - personalized, seamless, and memorable.?

The Takeaway

Here's the thing about great chefs and great marketers: they both know that excellence isn't about one perfect dish or campaign - it's about consistency, creativity, and care.?

As David Chang shows us in "Ugly Delicious," sometimes the most impactful experiences come from breaking conventions while respecting fundamentals.

Think of it as tradition plus innovation, with a side of disruption.

As you build your marketing FEAST, remember:

• Fine-tune your strategy like you're gunning for a Michelin star
• Engage your audience like every interaction is a chef's table experience
• Authenticate every touchpoint like you're cooking for your toughest critic
• Story-tell your brand journey like you're pitching the next Chef's Table season
• Time your execution like you're running a kitchen on the busiest night of the year

The kitchen's hot, the notifications are pinging, and your audience is hungry for something real. They're savvier than a food critic and more independent than a pop-up restaurant owner - but they're also craving authentic connections like they crave comfort food on a rough day.

Time to get cooking.?

This is Mise en Marketing in action - where the precision of Mise en Place meets the artistry of modern marketing. Through our FEAST framework, supported by IDEAL and POISE principles, we're creating marketing that's as methodical as it is memorable.

When someone calls 'Order in!' in your marketing kitchen tomorrow, you'll be ready.?

Not just to deliver a campaign, but to serve up experiences that turn first-time customers into regulars who grab their favorite table and tell the server, "I'll have the usual."?

Because in both cooking and marketing, the secret ingredient isn't some fancy technique or cutting-edge tool - it's giving a damn about the people you serve.

Yes, chef!

(*Author's Note: This exploration of the FEAST framework builds upon our original Mise en Marketing concept, where we first drew parallels between the culinary world's Mise en Place and modern marketing preparation. As we continue to develop this methodology, each new framework - from IDEAL to POISE to FEAST - adds another layer to our Mise en Marketing philosophy, helping brands create more thoughtful, prepared, and precisely executed marketing experiences. No soufflés were harmed in the making of this article.)