Grow Market Lead
By Kerry Pipes
A Culture of Giving
Jersey Mike’s gives and receives
R
ich Hope spent three decades in advertising and is
comfortable planning marketing strategies and executing successful campaigns. The former
ad man learned how to reach customers
and, perhaps more importantly, to create loyal customers. As CMO of Jersey
Mike’s Subs, Hope has been behind the
wheel overseeing all brand management,
as well as national and local marketing
activities.
Jersey Mike’s truly has
its own culture, as well as a
grassroots base of passionate
followers—which provides a
great resource for Hope and
his team to capitalize on. During the past couple of years,
the brand has successfully used
tools including social media to
promote its message of giving
back to the community.
Hope says Jersey Mike’s is
not interested in “quick fixes,”
but rather in creating relationships with people who buy in
wholeheartedly to what the
brand offers. We’re looking
at the idea of a “development
culture” in this issue of Franchise Update, so we queried
Hope on this theme, as well
as gathering his thoughts on
his role as CMO.
“We have great
momentum going
and there is an
incredibly positive
buzz around
Jersey Mike’s.”
What’s the most challenging part
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and keeping the right people. 2) Listening – To customers, the marketing team,
franchisees, advisors, and conversations
on social networks. 3) Alignment – When
you have the right people and you’ve
listened for feedback, it is critical that
your team works toward the same goals,
which takes careful communication. I’ve
always believed that the team
is more powerful than individuals and we must work
together. We are fortunate
because Jersey Mike’s mission,
“Giving… making a difference in someone’s life,” has
always stayed the same and
is the core of all our marketing efforts.
How do you measure
marketing results and
effectiveness? We look
Describe your role as franchise CMO. I have the best
job in the world. Because of
Jersey Mike’s focus on giving,
I get to help people every day—and interact with passionate fans who love our
fresh sliced/fresh grilled East Coast–style
subs. My role at Jersey Mike’s is a bit different from many CMOs. In addition to
the standard executive duties, because
of my experience running an ad agency,
I also oversee our in-house ad agency.
What are the 3 most important
keys to being an effective CMO
leader today? 1) People – Attracting
of being a CMO today? Jersey Mike’s
has been around for more than half a
century so we’ve seen a lot of ups and
downs. It’s been a difficult economy during the past few years and competition
is fiercer than ever. Another challenge is
operating as a marketer in a fast-paced,
changing [