( L-R ) Susan Boresow , Jose Costa , Matt Friedman , Catherine Monson , Christine Russell
course , spread like wildfire and further cemented Ritz-Carlton ’ s reputation for customer service excellence .
Despite his success in the online world , Stratten described himself as “ an old school sales and marketing guy .” And he made an interesting point about handling customer complaints . “ They want validation . What matters is the follow-up , doing something about it .” He said that while authenticity and transparency are important in customer relations , the third leg is immediacy , with speed of response as important — perhaps even more important — than the response itself .
After the keynote , which drew a “ standing O ,” the day wrapped up with three breakout sessions dealing with local marketing budgets and tools , social media ’ s role in driving revenue , and using research and big data to build an effective marketing plan .
Day 2 : More marketing ! A continental breakfast awaited marketers as they arrived for their second full day , which kicked off with a general session panel called “ Your Customer Comes First .” The panel , moderated by Susan Boresow , president of Title Boxing Club , consisted of Jose Costa , group president at Driven Brands ; Matt Friedman , founder and CEO at Wing Zone ; Catherine Monson , CEO and president at Fastsigns ; and Christine Russell , president at Camp Bow Wow . Each shared the different ways they continue to build their brands by focusing on the customer brand promise .
Costa spoke about how Meineke has worked to remove the old consumer perception that taking your vehicle in for auto repairs is like a trip to the dentist . “ We ’ ve worked to turn a negative into a positive . We want to help turn the car you drive back into the car you love ,” he said of the brand ’ s more modern approach to automotive repair . One important component in achieving that goal was changing the mindset of franchisees from being strictly operations-focused to being more customer-focused — which took some work , as well as some new technology to connect with customers online for repairs , estimates , and progress reports .
The panel also discussed other topics such as how to better engage franchisees , how they are managing customer complaints , and some of their best marketing tips and tactics . In one of the many references to big data during the conference , Russell described how important customer data is to Camp Bow Wow . “ We work closely with our franchisees to help them understand and own the marketing campaign on the front line ,” she said . “ The
data matters and benefits us all .”
Breakout sessions followed for the remainder of the morning , covering topics ranging from “ Brand Building Is More than Changing Your Logo ” and “ Programmatic Media Implementation in a Multi-Media Plan ” to “ The Print & Direct Mail Resurgence ” and “ What Does Mobile in 2016 Mean for My Brand and Franchisees ?” At noon , the Networking Gallery reopened for another chance to , mingle , eat , drink , and talk business with other marketers and the sponsors and exhibitors .
Next up was a general session panel , “ Integrated Media Done Right ,” moderated by David Buckley , CMO at Sears Hometown and Outlet stores . The panelists were Doug Koegeboehn , CMO at Wienerschnitzel ; Steve Schildwachter , CMO at BrightStar Care ; Terri Snyder , CMO and EVP at Checker ’ s / Rally ’ s ; and Ed Waller , chief brand officer at Paul Davis Restoration . Their discussion touched
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