Franchise Update Magazine Issue III, 2012 | Page 33

A franchisor’s guerilla education

At i9 Sports, grassroots local store marketing “has been something we’ve done
from the outset,” says Brandy Zickefoose,
brand manager. “It’s how the model
started out. We like to keep startup and

marketing costs low.”
Three years ago, when i9 opened a
corporate store, it became readily apparent to management that franchisees
were being asked to do too much—in
both time and money—to carry out
the company’s recommended marketing activities.
“It was a huge change for us. We
saw an immediate need for these resources, that it was a lot for one person
to take on,” she says. “For franchisees
managing guerilla marketing efforts for
several locations, it was important for
us to put training in place, as well as
show them how to execute particular
tasks: where to go, what to say, and
how to track it.”
About two years ago, i9 started developing specific processes and tracking the
resources required for, and the results
of, its local marketing efforts. After some
fine-tuning, the company introduced a

franchisees basically to “go do” all the
marketing activities corporate recommended. Now the message is much
more specific: “Here’s what you’re doing
this week.” That could include building
relationships with schools, distributing flyers to send home with students,
developing relationships with PTAs,
and coordinating with school events;
blanketing an area with road signs;
and developing partnerships with local
businesses (bowling alleys, spas, familyfriendly restaurants) and collaborating
with local restaurants on a “kids eat free
night,” distributing coupons to customers to help drive sales.
“It’s all about building relationships
with organizations that reach that same
target marke B