Stephen Anders discusses repositioning strategy based on consumer research showing customers visit nine eating occasions monthly across multiple QSR brands.
What’s happening: Sushi Sushi CEO Stephen Anders reveals the consumer research and brand health insights that convinced his team to launch a major repositioning campaign targeting Australia’s $25 billion QSR market.
Why this matters: The campaign represents a broader industry shift where health-conscious consumers demand more than speed and value, potentially redefining what fast food means for the next generation of quick-service restaurants.
Sushi Sushi CEO Stephen Anders believes his company sits at the centre of a fundamental transformation reshaping Australia’s quick-service restaurant landscape, where traditional fast food metrics no longer determine success.
Speaking exclusively about the chain’s major brand repositioning campaign, Anders reveals how extensive consumer research uncovered competitive advantages that convinced his leadership team to pursue an ambitious strategy targeting the broader QSR market rather than just the sushi category.
“Brand health research showed we outperform traditional QSR competitors on key associations: fast, fresh, healthy, Japanese, and sustainable,” Anders explains. “These insights confirmed we have a distinctive and desirable brand position in Australia’s $25+ billion QSR market, with strong relevance to today’s health-conscious, time-poor consumer.”
Research drives repositioning
The decision to reposition Sushi Sushi from a functional food proposition to an emotionally resonant brand emerged from detailed analysis of consumer behaviour and brand perception studies.
Anders describes the strategic thinking: “This new direction was driven by the opportunity to sharpen and amplify those strengths. Our repositioning brings greater clarity to what sets us apart, moving from a functional food proposition to an emotionally resonant brand with a clear, ownable identity.”
The new campaign, developed with Melbourne creative agency Noisy Beast, introduces the tagline “Real food. Ready to go” and represents what Anders calls “a natural evolution of who we are and how consumers already see us.”
“We’re not changing lanes, we’re leaning into the space we already compete in but doing so with more confidence and intent,” he emphasises.
The campaign approach builds on research findings by delivering what Anders describes as “bold storytelling rooted in warmth, wit, and personality” designed to deepen emotional connections and drive brand distinction.
Category shift accelerates
Anders positions the campaign within a broader transformation occurring across the QSR sector, where consumer expectations extend far beyond traditional fast food offerings.
“This campaign reflects a broader shift already underway in the QSR category, where consumers are demanding more than just speed and value,” he observes. “Health, quality, and purpose are becoming non-negotiable and we see this moment as both reflective of that shift and influential within it.”
The CEO believes Sushi Sushi enjoys a competitive advantage because the brand was built on principles that align with emerging consumer preferences.
“While many brands are trying to retrofit health into their legacy models, we’re fortunate to be building from a foundation that already aligns with where the category is headed,” Anders notes.
He frames the campaign as “a bold articulation” that demonstrates “what the next generation of QSR can and should stand for” without compromising on convenience, flavour, or price point.
Measuring brand impact
Beyond traditional performance metrics, Anders focuses on measuring brand perception shifts and emotional resonance with consumers.
“In addition to core metrics like reach, traffic, and sales, we’re focused on measuring brand impact, specifically how the campaign is shifting perception and deepening consumer connection over time,” he explains.
The company is conducting brand health tracking to assess movement across key attributes including brand awareness, emotional resonance, consideration and conversion, with particular attention to strengthening associations that differentiate Sushi Sushi from competitors.
“We’re also using qualitative feedback from frontline teams, customer reviews, and direct consumer responses to understand how the brand is being experienced in real life,” Anders adds.
For the CEO, campaign effectiveness extends beyond media performance: “It’s about brand stretch, emotional stickiness, and setting the foundation for long-term growth.”
Nine occasions insight
The breakthrough moment that convinced Anders to pursue aggressive repositioning came from consumer research revealing unexpected behaviour patterns among Sushi Sushi’s target audience.
“The breakthrough insight came through in-depth consumer research, which revealed that our audience engages in approximately nine eating occasions per month, spanning three to four different QSR brands,” he reveals.
This finding validated the company’s ambition to compete beyond the sushi category, positioning itself across the broader QSR landscape rather than accepting a narrower market segment.
“It reinforced the need for a bold, sophisticated campaign that amplifies the core attributes that make us distinctive and set us apart from the competition,” Anders explains.
The research demonstrated that Sushi Sushi customers don’t view the brand in isolation but as part of a diverse dining portfolio, creating opportunities for increased market share through strategic positioning.
Running from 30 June to 24 August 2025, the campaign employs digital targeting within a 15km radius of store locations, with above-the-line activity focused on metro markets including Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney.
Anders believes the campaign establishes Sushi Sushi as a leader in the evolution toward healthier, quality-focused fast food options that meet modern consumer expectations without sacrificing convenience or affordability.
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