The success of centralised marketing

The franchise model owes a lot to the power of centralised marketing. By joining together, franchisees have gained access to the best in marketing capability.

However, centralised marketing is too often a one-size-fits-all approach and may not always suit a particular market or location. Traditionally, localised granular-level marketing has been difficult to achieve on a meaningful scale.

The franchise model is evolving to become more effective than ever. Thanks to new technology, there’s now an enormous opportunity to adapt and tailor messages to specific customer demographics, behaviours and tastes. This is significant for franchisees who may operate in widespread geographic locations, servicing communities in a variety of languages, operating different sized stores, or requiring different price points.

The rise of Smart technology

Customers are increasingly engaging with businesses using a combination of electronic and instore interactions. Whether the engagement is via website, email, text or mobile device, the line between marketing and purchasing is blurring.

Advanced marketing automation technology combines the best elements of electronic communication, sophisticated data management and artificial intelligence to empower franchisee involvement locally while maintaining head office oversight.

Cutting edge firms such as Taguchi Marketing Pty Ltd (Taguchi®) are leading the way in developing this technology.

The Taguchi platform features powerful analytics, advanced automation and patented optimisation technology, enabling accurate targeting of customers and advanced local message customisation.

Central oversight, local flexibility

Individual franchisees can now have significant input into their group’s digital marketing campaigns.

Taguchi’s technology provides flexibility to easily tailor product offerings and messages based on specific customer demographics, behaviours and localised knowledge. Franchisees can target their communications at their local customers, while franchisors retain comfort in the knowledge their franchises are operating within the group’s strategic, marketing and compliance frameworks.

Brand management capabilities enable franchisees to access brand-approved templates and content which they can adapt to suit their local clientele, while franchisors remain assured of brand consistency, data security and compliance.

Franchisees can easily participate in the deployment of highly advanced data-driven marketing campaigns, backed by the support of Taguchi’s Australian software developers.

Thinking locally and delivering nationally

Domino’s Pizza uses Taguchi’s marketing automation platform to drive customer communications. The Domino’s national marketing team provides approval oversight, including the marketing direction and expertise, and they retain control of the strategy, branding and overarching message.

Franchisees also have access to the Taguchi system and can contribute to national communications by localising product offers and other content to suit their specific store.

“As a franchised business it’s important that our franchisees have the ability to customise the pricing and special offers for their stores. Taguchi makes this process incredibly easy through a custom-built portal,” says Wyber.

The combination of head office and local expertise ensures that Domino’s customers are provided with relevant, localised product offerings and messages that are more likely to encourage them to engage and buy.

As national retail organisations explore better ways of improving message personalisation to promote increased customer loyalty, this collaborative marketing model will continue to evolve and expand.

“We refer to it as ‘weaponising’ your local area marketing capability,” says Dean Maidment, Managing Director of TaguchiMarketing Pty Ltd.

“Franchisees and store managers know their customers and understand what is currently selling in their area. Empowering them with the technology to share that knowledge and easily infuse it into the national marketing initiatives provides a genuine competitive advantage.”

Staying ahead of the pack

The Taguchi and Domino’s teams work together to make the most of Taguchi’s technology advancements and ensure continual improvement to the Domino’s marketing automation program.

“There’s no question that Domino’s leads the way in this space,” says Mr Maidment.

“They are constantly striving to stay ahead by leveraging our technology in the most efficient manner possible. It’s a dynamic process involving close collaboration between our respective experts. Testing and learning also play an important role, so the location of both companies in Australia is an advantage. It enables us to work strategically while being responsive to changing market conditions”.

“Taguchi’s real-time customer engagement data and library of pre-saved offers allow us to display personalised customer content based on interaction and purchase history, and to react quickly to market changes. This enhances Domino’s marketing capabilities and ensures we are best-in-class in this space,” Wyber says.

Power at the coalface

Customers’ expectations have changed and now they seek a more personalised experience. Automation technology and data management are becoming critical to customer relationship management and particularly suitable to the franchise model, where the best of head office marketing expertise and franchise local area knowledge can be combined to provide a powerful competitive advantage.

It allows marketing to be handed back to the shop keeper, while retaining the economies of scale, knowledge and compliance that come from being part of a larger franchise group.