Igniting Innovation for 2020

If you don’t use technology to serve your customers, then somebody else will.

By Sherri Fishman, CFE, Fishman Public Relations

The future continues to be defined by those who lean into technology to achieve their business objectives. The roster of restaurant franchise brands investing in technology has exploded over the past several years now, with early adopters in online ordering discovering the ability to serve their guests free from barriers and without any hesitation. But the transformative impact of technology and innovation isn’t limited to any single industry within the franchise ecosystem.
Business leaders have identified themselves by pushing the boundaries of how big data and artificial intelligence can be applied to better understand and serve diverse customer segments.

It is the early adopters courageous enough to take the risk and embrace innovation who have been the key holders in changing the modeled behavior among franchisors, franchisees, employees and customers. We’re witnessing it take shape now and will see it further materialize in 2020. Here are some of the most important trends in marketing and innovation:

1. Developing the Dream Team

It’s by breaking down organizational silos that industry leaders have seen some of the greatest benefits.

CMOs and CIOs are working closely now more than ever to make innovation their priority to scale their businesses, increase brand awareness and hit their growth goals. There are powerful synergies among today’s marketers and technologists. In many ways, modern marketing professionals have needed to adopt many of the previously siloed functions of the technologists.

At the same time, CIOs have recognized how marketers have vast amounts of data at their fingertips, but may not understand how to effectively interpret it to make better business decisions. This is becoming increasingly apparent as more and more brands seek ways to connect online-to-offline customer journeys and devise a marketing strategy that bridges the gap.

Leading franchise brands are breaking down functional barriers in order to work together to apply innovative technologies to reach their goals, increase demand for products and services and win customer loyalty.

2. Increased Accessibility to Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are no longer just buzzwords or shiny objects that everyone wants to transform their business. When it comes to the data these technologies bring, being able to gather and analyze data alone isn’t a marketing strategy.

We’ll be seeing an increased recognition that businesses are spending too much time and energy focusing on machine learning and AI — in other words, Big Data — and not enough on human intelligence. Dr. Tricia Wang, co-founder of Sudden Compass and IFA’s 2019 Franchise Marketing Innovation and Technology Conference (MITcon) keynote speaker, has dubbed “thick data” as what businesses need to truly understand and relate to their customers.

Wang sees the confluence of strategy, technology and ability to implement that strategy in practice and at scale as the pathway for businesses to evolve beyond traditional advertising and marketing tactics. This theory of humanizing AI is a clear next step for franchisors, but how to successfully combine Big Data and granular, customer-centric data into a meaningful strategy is going to be the biggest challenge to get the best outcome. Business leaders will need to find the right balance by recognizing the need for both and acting as the mediator to see the quantitative and qualitative sides.

3. More Effective, Customized Marketing Playbooks

Franchisors know franchisees who invest in their brand don’t become a franchisee to be tasked with carrying out public relations and marketing efforts. Franchise owners have come to expect a playbook they can rely on to execute, while also receiving support from national advertising funds to build brand awareness. However, local marketing has been a persistent challenge for franchise brands.

The role of marketing and social media playbooks is to help franchisees build their brand organically in their local markets and boost franchisee satisfaction. The more a brand grows, the more difficult it can be to balance national responsibilities and local engagement.

Yet, there’s a growing array of tools and services that franchisors have invested in to support franchisees in their local market. For instance, social media marketing tools designed for multi-unit businesses like franchise brands have enabled franchisors to provide marketing assets to local franchise owners who can then customize them to fit their market.

There will be a growing dependence on integrating social and marketing platforms with a codified operational playbook that makes local marketing seamless for franchisees.

4. Employee Training Steeped in Engagement

Employee training innovation has flown under the radar when it comes to innovation in business technology. However, as many franchisors can testify, training support is the backbone of stellar unit-level operations. Traditional methodologies are being replaced by those that engage trainees at all levels.

Using games and technology for employee training is making a significant difference in how employees learn and retain information. Training and motivating teams in a way that is fun, creates competition and instigates learning that lasts. And perhaps, most importantly, many of the emerging tools are bringing learning directly to the employees through mobile apps, so training can take place anytime and anywhere. The right content conveyed to the right user in the way he or she wants to learn leads to the desired outcomes.

Ultimately, franchisors and franchisees can potentially look forward to having happier people who achieve more for the brand, stay longer and are more satisfied with their careers.

As technology plays a greater role, it’s critically important that businesses don’t ever overlook the fact that people — customers and employees — form the center of the franchise model. Franchisors must always embrace authentic human connection when marketing their brands, engaging with their customers, and supporting franchisees and employees. 

Sherri Fishman, CFE, is the President & Co-Founder of Fishman Public Relations, the franchise industry’s premier PR and content marketing agency. She is an IFA Board Member and the Chairwoman of the IFA’s Marketing & Innovation Committee. Find out more about Fishman Public Relations here.