Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2012 | Page 27

sages are receiving among franchisees.
Much as it takes a significant number of
TRPs for a message to be effective in TV
or radio, it takes a significant amount of
communication and discussion to gain
alignment among an entire franchise
community. So our communication and
discussion process is robust. Every quarter, we hold a system-wide conference
call with the entire franchisee community to review our results and discuss the
next quarter’s priorities. The last part of
that call is dedicated to Q&A, and the
entire executive team stays on the line
until all questions are answered. In addition, we lead quarterly local market
business and co-op meetings to discuss
local trends and opportunities. With the
launch of each promotional event, we
hold a system-wide call to review the
promotion in detail. And every week we
send a comprehensive communication
to the entire system to provide timely
updates and information.
What are the three most important
keys to being an effective CMO today? 1) Earn the trust and confidence

of the CEO, board, franchisees, and executive team. 2) Consistently produce
profitable sales results while building a
compelling differentiated brand. 3) Be
a strategic business leader as well as a
functional marketing leader. In today’s
business environment, successful CMOs
do more than just lead the marketing
and advertising function. They also support the CEO and management team
as broader business strategists as well
as business process and cultural leaders.
How do you manage costs and
budgets for the marketing department? Like most franchised brands, our

marketing production budget is funded
directly from contributions from both
franchisees and the company. So strong
oversight, transparency, and budget control are critically important. At Checkers, our National Production Fund is
managed by a board consisting of three
of our most respected franchisees and
two corporate representatives including
our senior accounting and advertising
officers. The board meets quarterly to
review the budget line by line and make

timely spending decisions.
How are you using different media
channels to reach today’s franchise
prospects? Our objective is to surround

our prospective franchisees with Checkers’ sales and profit successes, compelling
investment returns, and exciting brand
news. To do that, we leverage earned,
owned, and paid media. Our biggest successes in generating qualified leads have
come from traditional trade publications
as well as from non-traditional media like
public relations and the right franchise
portals. Checkers’ franchise marketing
and PR efforts, especially the exposure

“I am most
excited about
the opportunity
social/digital
media affords
smaller, fighter
brands like
Checkers.”
on Fox News and “Undercover Boss,”
drove a seven-time increase in qualified
franchise leads this year.
Do today’s franchise prospects
expect more from the franchise
marketing department? How do
you provide more? Definitely! To-

day’s franchise prospects are seasoned
business leaders, many with operations
experience in some of America’s best restaurant and retail brands. They expect a
compelling, well-positioned brand, differentiated products, well-tested and
proven promotions, and the support to
maximize all of that locally. As Checkers
has significantly accelerated new restaurant growth, we’ve also significantly expanded our field market function. Today,
we provide hands-on PR and marketing
support for new restaurant openings from
pre-opening through the first full year
of operations. In addition, our field marketing group works with franchisees and

company operators in our 35 active TV
co-operatives and our non-TV markets
to regionalize and localize our national
marketing plan for maximum impact.
How have marketing strategies and
tools changed over the past decade, and how have you adapted?

For me, this is the most exciting time to
be in marketing. Economic downturns
and new technologies drive disruption.
And disruption inherently produces opportunities for those nimble enough and
forward-thinking enough to seize the opportunity. I am most excited about the
opportunity social/digital media affords
smaller, fighter brands like Checkers. Traditional media favor the biggest brands
in every category; huge media budgets
win. But with social/digital media, it’s
not just about big budgets. Creativity,
innovation, and the connective tissue of a
brand are what matters most. At Checkers, we continue to accelerate our social/
digital investment,