CMO Q&A: Discuss Your Core Consumer Marketing Strategies and Objectives

In each issue of Franchise Update magazine, we profile franchise CMOs and marketing leaders, asking each the same set of questions. Throughout the year, we'll be selecting one of those questions and providing answers from those profiles. If you want to learn more about these franchise marketing leaders and their thoughts on other topics, we've provided links to their full profile where available.

This week we asked them to discuss their core consumer marketing strategies and objectives.

Amy Przywara, Chief Marketing Officer, Sylvan Learning
We use a combination of national digital, local digital, local marketing, social/influencer, and email/texting to reach our customer. It all works together and we recognize that. Through all of our communication channels, we are trying to get more people to come into our centers and talk with us. That can also be a phone conversation, but we know that once someone walks into our center, especially with their child with them, they will feel the support and how we can help. We focus on overcoming the barriers of getting a prospective customer to that point. We do try to break it down through a simple web form or a phone call. All of these things play a part in getting to each next step.

Michael Barrette, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, Dippin' Dots & Doc Popcorn
As a 30-year-old brand, our marketing strategies and objectives for Dippin' Dots focus on: 1) Short-term and long-term tactics to remain relevant to our consumer. Looking at where our demographic spends time in the popular culture, those tactics often include but are not limited to music and dance, movies, games, and schools; 2) Implementing promotional campaigns that will help drive traffic to franchisee locations, which creates something new for consumers to engage with. Examples of this would be the "spin the wheel" for prizes we implemented for National Ice Cream Day and also launching new flavors like Cool Mint Crunch in 2019; 3) Providing new product and flavor options including LTO programs franchisees can take advantage of for holidays and other occasions; and 4) Keep bringing new consumers into our funnel by interacting with K-12 schools. We have broadened our market share with our Smart Snack approved product range of sherbet and YoDots frozen yogurt, which a good number of school districts prefer. Read the full profile here.

Michelle Spohnholz, Vice President of Marketing, Newk's Eatery
A big piece of what I have been working on is the brand identity to find the unique benefit we serve to our guests. From a functional perspective, they told us that we create meals that are the right balance of healthy and satisfying. And our open kitchen is a proof point that we freshly prepare meals to order and use only the freshest ingredients. We are working hard to communicate in a bigger way that Newk's offers the right balance of healthy and satisfying in everything we make, and that the work we put into creating our food makes it the freshest and tastiest you can find. We are also trying to meet our guests where they are and provide more convenient offerings. Whether it's placing an order online, using our app, picking up a quick meal solution from our grab and go case, or enjoying a meal in our dining room - we are focused on being a convenient part of our guests' lifestyle. We are testing a new technology that will allow us to bring a to-go order out to their car so they don't even have to park! Additionally, we are building a loyalty program to engage our guests in a more meaningful way. We want to reward our guests' loyalty and also intrigue them with offers and benefits relevant to them. If we can get our loyal customers to identify themselves when they place an order, we would like to give them a better experience in our restaurants because we value their business and the relationship we have with them. Read the full profile here.