El Pollo Loco's Olivia Ross is driving loyalty for the restaurant chain

When Olivia Ross started at El Pollo Loco in November 2021, she managed only customer relationship management. By July 2022, she’d been tasked with revamping the restaurant chain’s loyalty program. “It was a really good step back, to see the big digital picture at large and be able to truly encompass every part of that consumer journey and touchpoints,” said Ross, now head of CRM, loyalty and e-commerce. Ross’ strategic CRM program redesign led to an incremental $6 million derived from customer journeys, as well as significant email open rate and click-through rate growth. “It was a really big job, but it’s been so fun, honestly, just really exciting,” Ross said. Ross’s loyalty roadmap also led to a $90 million annual revenue impact, a company spokesperson added. Beyond the CRM and loyalty improvements she’s led, Ross seems most proud of the ways in which she’s helped El Pollo Loco’s fans build community. “My job is successful when I can make people happy,” Ross said. “That’s obviously a really hard thing to measure … but to hear the stories from people about how passionate they are about the brand, how happy they are with certain things that we've done, how excited they are to see the new era of El Pollo Loco—that's been just so rewarding.” Read about Ad Age’s 2024 Leading Women here What advice would you give to your younger self? There are three things I’d tell myself. First, never stop learning, continue to be curious and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Sometimes, it’s more valuable to learn what you don’t like so you can get that much closer to finding out what you love doing. Second, you have to be your biggest advocate, especially as a woman; it’s important not to shy away from celebrating your success, you earned it and deserve to be recognized for the value you bring to the table. Third, build a network of mentors, peers and colleagues you can call on. These people will offer advice, wisdom and open doors to new opportunities. The people in my circle are incredible and I owe a lot of where I am today thanks to them. What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken? Moving over to El Pollo Loco was a big jump as I was moving from a brand marketing role into a digitally-led position with little background in digital marketing. I spent a lot of time discovering the ins and outs of my role, connected with countless colleagues to hear about their experiences and ultimately adapted quickly to the job. Fast forward a few years and I can confidently say I’m happy I stepped out of my comfort zone and took the risk to be here. If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing and why? I’d be an interior designer; I’ve always been motivated by two things: creative challenges and the opportunity to bring joy to others. Great design is fascinating because not only does it take a creative eye to build a beautiful space, but there’s principle and science backing the decisions so that interiors are visually appealing and highly functional. I’m a huge believer that environment plays a big role in our happiness, and it would be so rewarding to help others find that in their own lives. What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks? I’m super passionate about this, and I’m lucky to have incredible, strong women in my corner who have helped pave the way for my career. I think it’s important that we collectively continue to create space at the table and celebrate the immense, positive impact women and people of color have on the industry, whether that be through sponsorship, mentorship programs, opportunities, recognition or resources specifically designed around navigating the complexities in the workplace today. It’s so important to find people you can call on, and we can all work to continue to build a world that provides the right resources, advocacy, and opportunity toward a better tomorrow. How will AI impact your job in the future? AI is already impacting my role daily, as we’ve focused on weaving it into our marketing approach to create a better consumer experience. As we move forward, the expansion of AI will create opportunities and jobs that are non-existent today, providing new ways of looking at data, developing creative and connecting with consumers. In our experience, the more a team leans into AI and machine learning, the more resources are required to maximize the outputs. With that in mind, we are already thinking about what we need to do to prepare for the next wave of AI and laying groundwork that will help us harness its potential as it evolves. Read about Ad Age’s 2024 Leading Women here

El Pollo Loco's Olivia Ross is driving loyalty for the restaurant chain

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