---
title: "Q&A with Maria Hokanson: Maintaining A Brand Legacy While Focusing on Innovation"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/af56eca6-d0ed-469d-b9e9-24241fb7ddf3
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/qa-with-maria-hokanson-maintaining-a-brand-legacy-while-focusing-on-innovation-2704704
category: "Snacks & dessert"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Snacks & dessert"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit"]
published: 2017-10-27T16:11:07.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:11:31.705Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/8122a6b4a35652424da8a7c0f0d86949919.jpg
---

# Q&A with Maria Hokanson: Maintaining A Brand Legacy While Focusing on Innovation

**TL;DR:** Maria Hokanson, EVP of Marketing at Dairy Queen, discusses maintaining the brand's legacy while focusing on innovation. Hokanson's team will focus on updating and differentiating the brand, building conversations with fans through digital presence, and growing the food and snack business.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2017-10-27. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/qa-with-maria-hokanson-maintaining-a-brand-legacy-while-focusing-on-innovation-2704704).*

## Story

I am coming up on my 13th anniversary with the *DQ* brand and have been around the block in the marketing department. I started as a mall marketing manager and have really worked through every nook and cranny of the business. I grew up loving the *DQ* brand and have memories of going with my grandpa. I even named my dog Buster after the *Buster*® Bar.

My most recent role before being promoted to EVP of Marketing was VP of Product and Brand. One of the key responsibilities in that role was to lead the team that drives product innovation, determines the marketing calendar and uses consumer insight to guide future product decisions. I was part of the team that brought to life $5 Buck Lunch, which was a wonderful product launch to be a part of because it was so evolutionary to building our food business.

**What is next for you in your new role as EVP of Marketing and what can fans expect from the brand in the upcoming year?**

My team’s focus will be to continue updating and differentiating the brand in coming years. There is huge opportunity for us to build conversations with our fans through our growing presence in the digital space. From a growth and brand trajectory standpoint, we need to keep the balance of maintaining our treat leadership while growing our food and snack business. We want to continue to grow and evolve products like the *Blizzard*® Treat and continue to make it as relevant as possible, while building upon new food items that are offered through our *DQ Grill & Chill®* concept.

**How does the *DQ®* brand maintain its longstanding legacy while continuing to innovate as a top player in the QSR industry?**

We are continuing to push the boundaries on treat differentiation and take advantage of the opportunity we have with food. The success of the $5 Buck Lunch showed that were able to attract loyal fans to try our food offerings by combining food and treats at a value cost. We are also working to understand the millennial voice.

As we evolve as a brand, our innovation process is called “fannovation,” to continue to bring our loyal fans along with us as we make our food and treat offerings bigger and better. Our brand was built on baby boomers, and now the Gen X and millennial mindset is more than just an age group, so they change the discourse and opinions of other generations.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- Multi-Unit (company)
- marketing strategy (topic)
- qsr industry (topic)
- Dairy Queen (company)
- innovation (topic)
- brand legacy (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/qa-with-maria-hokanson-maintaining-a-brand-legacy-while-focusing-on-innovation-2704704). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/af56eca6-d0ed-469d-b9e9-24241fb7ddf3).