team members well, and giving back to
our communities. On the marketing
side, we do not believe in quick fixes like
LTOs or discounting. We’ve always found
that once people come in and experience
our culture and taste our product they
come back.
How has this “development culture” changed over time? From the
beginning, our mission has been, “Giving… making a difference in someone’s
life.” There is nothing about growth or
profitability or even product in there.
Our culture is first and foremost about
giving, and serving delicious subs is part
of the experience. We have been really
fortunate to find newer multi-unit, multibrand franchisees along with a terrific
group of existing owners who are excited
about this approach to business and want
to be part of Jersey Mike’s.
How does the culture at Jersey
Mike’s affect your marketing and
branding strategy? We are a culture-
driven concept (versus sales-driven).
This culture is around giving. We truly
believe that by helping more people, we
can extend the brand. This approach
comes straight from the top, from our
CEO Peter Cancro, who has a knack for
finding organizations that need a hand.
Since 2010, locations throughout the
country have raised more than $5 million
for worthy local charities and distributed
more than 500,000 free sub sandwiches
to help numerous causes.
How is your marketing/branding
strategy developed, and how does
it flow through the system? Our
brand strategy is created to stay consistent with our culture and is developed
annually.
What are the keys to creating a
more unified approach to the marketing efforts at Jersey Mike’s?
We believe in one brand, one message.
This may sound easy since our messaging has stayed consistent for 56 years,
but both nationally and on a local level
we work hard to present a unified message around giving and our subs. As we
grow, it is important that everyone who
“We treasure our
vendors as our
business partners.
We treat them
well because
we value their
contribution.”
comes into the company understands
our story and culture so they can share
it with customers, store owners, or others. This is critical to protect the brand.
How does the marketing department interact with other departments (sales, training, operations,
etc.)? There is continual communica-
tion between marketing and the other
departments.
Has your marketing department
bought into the concept of “tearing down the silos” to create more
internal alignment? Marketing works
closely with other departments, from
provisions to operations. For instance,
we have a weekly marketing meeting,
and every two weeks that is open to all
departments. We are more effective and
creative when we align with all areas of
the company.
How do you manage costs and
budgets for the marketing department? We work from an annual budget
and if new opportunities come up, we
adjust as needed.
Do you see vendors as business
partners? In our culture, we treasure
our vendors as our business partners.
Whether partners in technology, provisions, printing, or other, we treat them
well because we value their contribution.
How have marketing strategies/
tools changed over the past decade? How have you adapted? Our
marketing strategies have stayed consistent
over the years. However, the tools we use
have changed dramatically. Technology
has allowed us to reach our customers in
ways never imagined 56 years ago when
the company was founded. Today through
database integration we know our customer in a whole new way and can cater
to each based on their preferences. This
year, we will introduce a new Super App
that will bring “all things Jersey Mike’s”
to our customers in one place – on their
computer or mobile device – and help
remind them to stop in and have a sub.
After all, our goal never changes: to motivate people to come into our restaurants.
Explain how you are using different media channels to reach
today’s franchise prospects. We
use a variety of media channels to reach
franchise prospects. These include banner ads, email blasts, an email development newsletter, and a special section on
our website with information about our
culture, testimonials from franchisees,
territory information, and much more.
Still, some of our best contacts come from
one-on-one interactions at trade shows
and other franchising events. There is
great word-of-mouth about Jersey Mike’s
right now and we are fortunate to have
qualified multi-brand, multi-unit prospects calling us to learn more.
Do today’s franchise prospects
expect more from the franchise
marketing department? How do
you provide that? One reason people
buy into franchising is marketing and a
strong brand identity. At Jersey Mike’s
we consider ourselves a service company,
and marketing is one part of that. We are
in a dual role of steering the brand and
ensuring its growth. One way we help
franchisees is offering an in-house graphics and marketing department where we
provide customized jobs with no extra fees.
This allows us to provide great service
and ensure brand consistency. We also
have a program called Mike’s Marketers,
wh