Jackie Walker | Why Digital Menu Boards Aren't Enough | ChatGTM S2 E50

What if your digital menu board is doing little more than displaying a prettier version of your printed menu? Jackie Walker, Chief Experience Officer at Creative Realities, joins Michael Beck on ChatGTM to explain why digital signage is about much more than screens. It's about understanding customers, influencing decisions, and creating experiences that people genuinely crave. Drawing on her work with major QSR brands, Jackie explores the science of craveability, contextual merchandising, customer empathy, and the untapped potential of digital menu boards. We dig into why the initial excitement around digital signage can fade, how brands can use motion, color, dayparting, and data to improve their merchandising, and why testing and learning should be part of an ongoing performance marketing strategy. Jackie also introduces Experience Intelligence, the consulting and creative capabilities within Creative Realities, and previews her Prosper Accelerate think tank session on reimagining the menu experience. And as AI takes on more of the creative process, what remains uniquely human? Jackie has some strong opinions about judgment, restraint, and why technology should never come before the customer. **CONNECT WITH JACKIE** LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackieohare/ **CHAPTERS** 00:00 Welcome and the power of craveability 02:38 Jackie's journey into digital experiences 06:26 Where Creative Realities operates 08:04 What makes an experience craveable? 09:42 Why contextual content matters 13:00 Personalization versus creepy 15:15 Designing for the customer's moment 16:21 Why restaurants need more than a digital menu 19:45 Motion, merchandising, and dayparting 21:24 Why digital menus need continuous testing 23:55 Adoption and franchisee challenges 24:46 Why the initial sales lift can disappear 26:15 Inside CRI's Experience Intelligence team 29:57 Jackie's Prosper Accelerate preview 32:37 The entire customer journey matters 33:48 AI, creativity, and human judgment 35:08 Jackie's legacy and making magic 36:14 Rapid fire: experience and surprise 37:19 Why the food in the bag matters most 38:33 Taco Bell and cultural relevance 40:41 Human connection versus technology 41:22 The surprising power of color 42:45 Prosper Accelerate and final takeaways 45:32 Jackie's colorful sign-off **JOIN THE CONVERSATION** Are your digital menu boards simply displaying products, or are they actively helping customers make better decisions? Subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping hospitality, restaurant technology, and the customer experience. ChatGTM: The Industry, Unscripted. #JackieWalker #CreativeRealities #DigitalMenuBoards #DigitalSignage #Craveability #RestaurantTechnology #ChatGTM