The 8 | May 18, 2018

1. Frantastic: Brands with a strong digital presence often share one common goal: to go viral. But going viral is easier said than done — even if a viral moment is carefully created, it needs to be organic. To help brands tap into viral opportunities, 1851 rounded up some Frantastic examples of viral campaigns that paid off and the lessons that can be learned from them, from Wendy’s ongoing Twitter sass to Checkers* & Rally’s willingness to playfully call out the competition.

2. Franlebrity: This week’s Franlebrity is Juan Caicedo, Vice President of Marketing for Realty ONE Group. 1851 spoke with Caicedo as a part of our “Brands Winning at Franchise Marketing” issue to learn more about how the franchise is expanding alongside qualified owners. He notes that digital marketing plays a strong role in reaching prospective franchisees, saying, “We’ve built an omnichannel journey with a focus on creating an interactive, 360-degree digital experience.”

3. Frash Money: As the franchising industry continues to evolve, keeping your brand relevant and ahead of the competition is no easy — or cheap— feat. That’s why 1851 rounded up five small marketing changes that have the potential to make a big difference for franchisors, including taking advantage of brand partnerships, investing in social media, utilizing positive PR, embracing brand strengths and getting to know target consumers.

4. Frant of the Week: In his latest Frant, No Limit Agency* CEO Nick Powills explains that brands shouldn’t be afraid of being different. Instead, they should be afraid of being the same as everyone else. Having a strong point of differentiation has the potential to make or break a franchise system. Unless a brand’s website, marketing, PR and digital efforts all emphasize their individual “why” stories, they won’t be able to stand out and win.

5. Franch Forward: Brands looking to Franch Forward need to know how to effectively market their franchise businesses. Especially in today’s digital-centric world, where attention spans are short and sponsored posts are common, it’s more important than ever before for franchisors to keep sight of their marketing goals and target demographics. To ensure their marketing efforts are successful, brands need to tap into the power of in-store marketing as well as their online presence and utilize their network as much as they possibly can.

6. Fran Funny: Burger King and Wendy’s gave residents of Lynn, Massachusetts something to laugh about with a promposal. Burger King used its marquee to ask the local Wendy’s — which is right next door — to prom. In traditional Wendy’s fashion, the brand used its corporate social media account to tweet its response, saying, “Ok, but don’t get handsy and we have to be home by 10.”

7. Franspiration: “I feel that all local businesses should be heavy in digital. You can measure the reaction and the results of digital campaigns and efforts. So, you can make better, honed-in decisions and optimize your spend. Your reach is so much greater and for less money.” - Jacqueline Ball, Marketing Strategist for The Dapper Doughnut

8. Franemies vs. Frands: Burger King Spain has proven that Instagram is a true Frand. The franchise took a creative approach to promoting its signature Whopper burger by creating nine Instagram stories — one for each Whopper ingredient. Users were asked to pick their favorite toppings using Instagram’s poll feature. Once a customer completed all nine polls, they received a unique coupon to receive their customized burger for free. Without any paid media, Burger King generated 270,000 interactions that led to 34,675 custom Whopper coupons.