Franchise Update Magazine Issue III, 2016 | Page 54

Marketing

BY KERRY PIPES & EDDY GOLDBERG

MEET-UP

2016 Franchise Consumer Marketing Conference rocks

O

ne thing was clear at this year’s
Franchise Consumer Marketing Conference (FCMC): times
have changed and will continue to change
for franchise brand marketers—more rapidly than ever before. With all the ongoing
developments in digital, social, and even
traditional marketing strategies and tactics, consumer marketing is in a historic
period of evolution for franchise brands.
Keeping current and hearing from peers
on how they’re navigating the changing
marketing seascape are two big reasons
CMOs, marketing VPs, and other franchise marketing executives attend this
conference, now in its 6th year and continuing to grow in size and scope each
year. More than 330 attendees, more than
half first-timers, got together in Atlanta’s
InterContinental Hotel Buckhead in late
June for two days packed with marketing insights, education, and networking
opportunities.

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Day 1: Jump right in
The conference kicked into gear Tuesday
morning with two pairs of concurrent
workshops. The first set featured a session on crafting the right brand promise

FCMC BY THE
NUMBERS
ATTENDEES
• 336 Total
• 174 Franchisors
• 150 Sponsors
• 54% First-time attendees
FRANCHISORS BY CATEGORY
• 72 Service
• 48 Food
• 19 Retail Food
• 15 Retail Non-Food

to customers (consumers, franchisees, and
employees); and the other focused on
media strategy (paid, owned, and earned).
Those were followed by two more concurrent workshops about how to engage
customers by choosing the right media
vehicles; and on how to evaluate the results
of a paid media plan. These 90-minute
workshops, presented by marketing and
technology experts, explored solutions
to the problems modern marketers face,
with plenty of time for attendees to ask
questions or provide answers based on
their own experiences.
The exhibits are open!
One of the cornerstones of the FCMC is
the open discussions and informal networking available in the Sponsor Networking
Gallery, along with ample food and drink
filling the aisles between the sponsors’
booths—all in all, a great atmosphere for
meeting with fellow marketers, solution

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