Welcome to the final post in our blog series exploring the nuances of the Freedom Franchise (here are parts one, two and three).
The “Freedom” to advertise: It’s not what you do, but how you do it that matters….
In a Freedom Franchise model should you be free to advertise however you want? The answer is probably not . . . and that is not something I am answering from a franchise perspective, but from an “other owners’” perspective.
As a franchise owner, what you do in your city can clearly affect other stores in that city ─ or even stores anywhere else ─ depending on how long you are advertising for.
So what is the right approach? Well, it’s pretty simple really: it’s called stick to the truth. Truth in advertising works! If a product is only made in your store ─ say that. If it’s a recipe from another store that people love ─ say that.
In a Freedom Franchise you are free to advertise how you like . . . but that doesn’t mean you should. Like many other things in the Great Harvest franchise model, I think we have found the right balance.
At the franchise level, we are not there to tell owners WHAT to advertise; that is up to them, depending on their business needs and local tastes.
But we can certainly help them with HOW to advertise. After 30 years of advertising experience I have learned that the HOW can be the difference between success and failure. Imagine the famous Nike advertising theme: “Just Do It.” It’s so powerful they don’t even need to write it under the logo anymore. Do you think that would be the case if they had introduced it with Rosanne Barr delivering it as a potent command?
The same is true when it comes to delivering local radio advertising. Having local stations write the copy for you and then running the ad spread indiscriminately throughout the day is not quite the “deal of the century” that they make it out to be. That is true whether the advertising is paid in cash or in kind with your bread, sandwiches and goodies.
With no disrespect, they are trying to sell you locally on what they cannot sell ─ and are making it sound very affordable ─ when in fact what you need to be successful on their station is very different.
I’ve written before about how our locally-owned bakeries have been using radio marketing across the country with great success. What is working for us ─ like I said before ─ is THE TRUTH. No scripts. No pre-records. Pure, unfiltered, live reactions to the products our owners bring into the stations. Real reactions from real people to real products. That is the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
So yes, have the freedom to promote and advertise the products you want on a local level. But do it with the right advertising approach, and get all the support you can to make it work for you and not just the station.
And that is the simple truth about advertising the Freedom Franchise way.
If you missed the other posts in this series, read them here:
• Where Freedom & Franchise Meet: What is this Business Model Anyway?
• Destroying the Myth: National Brand Means You Need to Be National Advertiser
• Why the Freedom Franchise is a Great Fit For You
