Growth Club
1851 Growth Club
10 Brands that Own Marketing
Here are 10 power players the rest of the franchising industry should start taking notes from.
Think of five franchise brands off the top of your head. Got ‘em? You probably chose them because they have great marketing. It’s what makes a brand a household name and keeps people talking about it for years. From a social, digital and traditional viewpoint, the top brands in marketing know how to make people talk. Check out these top 10 brands that own marketing and you will see why you can’t stop thinking about them.
Taco Bell
One brand that is killing it in marketing this year is Irvine, California-based Taco Bell. The brand has been able to connect with, and not just talk at, the coveted millennial generation and it’s showing in a major way. According to Fast Company, the brand has become an industry leader in creating better, funnier ads, ruling real-time social media and launching a mobile app that gained more excitement than a start-up launch. The genius of the taco brand shows in their effort to join the breakfast wars. Launching an attack that took a direct hit at the fast-food giant McDonald’s showed how this brand isn’t afraid to share its out-of-the-box personality.
McDonald’s
You don’t get to be the biggest franchise in the world without having a solid marketing campaign. Earlier this year, McDonald’s put its money where its mouth is and showed how much it’s “lovin’ it.” During the Big Game this year, McDonald’s launched the Pay With Lovin’ campaign, where it used the ideas of positive emotional currency to pay for a McDonald’s order. According to Ad Week, the Oakbrook, Illinois-based brand boosted the its online perception from roughly 30 percent positive or neutral to 85 percent positive or neutral.
Smoothie King
In the game of smoothies, there is only one king. That’s Smoothie King, a premium smoothie bar and nutritional lifestyle center, that is making a name in the world of sports. The brand is the namesake of Smoothie King Center the arena that is home to the New Orleans Pelicans NBA team. In addition, the brand has named power forward Anthony Davis from the Pelicans as its spokesperson. This is helping the brand make waves in the sports industry. In addition to that, the lifestyle smoothie chain has launched a line of vegan-friendly plant-based smoothies. That is just another way to show how they are broadcasting their message to fans and followers.
Panera
Less is more when it comes to Panera’s latest marketing campaign. The brand announced it will be removing artificial additives from its menu. This move further solidifies the fast-casual chain’s image of having quality food and ingredients. In addition to the removal of ingredients, Panera is pushing to put more mobile-friendly plans into action, landing it on Fast Company’s list of the most innovative companies of 2015.
Which Wich
Brown bag lunches have never been so delicious. The Which Wich brand is known for letting customers create their own sandwiches from a wide array of options available to them. Not only is the sandwich franchise letting fans create their own sandwiches, it is bringing the classic PB&J to those in need. Launching Project PB&J allows the brand to give a comforting sandwich to someone in need locally and globally for each sandwich donated.
Dominos
The Dominos brand is the comeback kid. After listening to consumers, the brand took it upon itself to reinvent its menu and create a better product. Part of the pizza brand’s marketing strategy included taking aim at the brand itself in a self-depreciating way to admit to customers that they were right. With a new product and a new name (yes, they dropped the “Pizza”), the brand has upgraded its outlook by focusing on new technology to reach fans. In 2014, the brand launched Dom, the virtual voice ordering assistant. In 2015, the brand took ordering pizza into the social world by launching its “order with a tweet” campaign, where users just need to tweet the pizza emoji to order their saved order. The company teased this by only tweeting the emoji for the entire day on May 12 to build up hype. This was a hit in the news, and with their millennial social following.
7-Eleven
The iconic convenience store brand is continuing to make waves by keeping the classics while introducing new initiatives. Fans know that on July 11, the brand will be celebrating. And new fun days, like National Slurpee Day, keep fans thinking of the brand.
Toppers Pizza*
This is one brand that is asking you to “Never Settle” for anything but awesome. Toppers Pizza is taking the pizza industry and turning it on its head with their crazy topping combinations, millennial customer outreach and pizza not made by "The Man." For young people seeking brands that don't feel like cookie-cutter corporate entities, Toppers is a name at the top of the list, no easy feat for a franchise concept.
RE/MAX
You don’t get to be a household name without having great brand recognition. From the streets to the skies, RE/MAX has found a way to highlight its brand. With over 100 hot air balloons, the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon fleet is around the world. When looking to sell a home, the red, white and blue RE/MAX sign is clearly displayed.
Subway
The sandwich franchise giant has no shortage of great campaigns. From introducing the world to Jared from Subway, or getting us all to sing about $5 foot longs, everyone knows what’s going on at Subway. The sandwich company has recently announced it will be removing artificial ingredients from its menu by 2017. This continues the brand’s image of providing a healthier alternative to fast food.
*This brand is a paid partner of 1851 Franchise. For more information on paid partnerships please click here.
