What is Franchise Marketing?
One reason many entrepreneurs opt to purchase a franchise business vs. starting a business alone is brand awareness. Most have heard of Cold Stone Creamery, for example. They may already be a loyal customer — and so are many of their friends, family and fellow community members.
Why people buy a franchise, as well as become a fan, is due in part to franchise marketing. That’s where a franchisor, such as the very experienced team at Kahala Brands, uses media buys, product placement, interviews with subject matter experts, and much more to build awareness of the brand.
How is it different from normal marketing?
Franchise marketing is different from local marketing, which may be tailored around a specific event, such as a community festival or 5K fun run. Since 1988, millions of Americans have learned the name Cold Stone Creamery, which means smiles, songs, and the best-tasting ice cream on the planet, thanks to a broader marketing strategy designed to highlight the brand itself. And with locations around the country and world, that enormous brand recognition has helped owners open Cold Stone Creamery franchise locations in new markets with ease.
A simple way to understand the Cold Stone Creamery brand’s presence throughout the country is to type the name into Google and see what pops up. Article after article appears praising the brand’s super-premium ice cream, the endless ability for customization, our latest LTOs, and special partnerships with major Hollywood blockbusters and video game giants.
Brand identity
“Cold Stone Creamery enjoys household name recognition in America and globally, but we believe our product is far superior to what is available on the market,” says Jay Goldstein, Vice President of Franchise Development. “Marketing the brand has always been anchored by the fact that the ‘creamery’ part of Cold Stone Creamery is real: the ice cream is made fresh in-house, which gives it an artisanal quality and a taste which helps develop customer loyalty.”
Over more than three decades, Cold Stone Creamery has been able to cement its place in the ice-cream world with that “created onsite” message. It sends a message to consumers that this is a different product than they might get elsewhere. It’s not trucked in, and it is highly customizable. That’s another major Cold Stone Creamery marketing message: thousands of ways to customize each order, so every trip can be a new and fun experience. Result? A brand identified with quality that also has a sense of fun and adventure.
Brand awareness
Those efforts have created a strong awareness of what Cold Stone Creamery is, differentiators which matter in the hypercompetitive desert sector of the fast-casual dining industry. And they also work their way down to local-market promotions, allowing franchise owners to tie the Cold Stone Creamery difference into their social media posts and current promotions. When your brand is already a household name, spreading brand awareness is just that much easier.
Franchise marketing support
“Cold Stone Creamery franchise owners benefit from an in-house marketing team that is tremendously experienced at both brand marketing and what works in specific localities,” Goldstein explains. “Marketing is one of the most vital aspects of owning a successful business, but how many entrepreneurs are marketing experts? The answer is very few. In fact, the majority of Cold Stone Creamery franchise owners joined the brand with little to no marketing experience, because one of the major benefits of becoming part of the Kahala Brands™ family is having the full support of a dedicated in-house marketing team.”
“Kahala’s marketing and public relations teams support franchise owners from day one and every day after,” he continues. “They leverage the strong brand name to build exciting partnerships with movie studios, for instance, to build entirely new ways to elevate the brand name, awareness, and buy-in from local ice cream lovers. The team also helps support local and digital marketing efforts, supplying Cold Stone Creamery franchise owners with a variety of marketing materials that can be used to help spread the word in their community.”
Own a Cold Stone Creamery franchise today!
Cold Stone Creamery franchise has stores across the United States and a presence in many international markets. We still have optimal territory available for new franchise expansion and development. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Cold Stone Creamery is owned by parent company Kahala Brands™, one of the world’s fastest-growing franchising companies with a portfolio of 28 quick-service restaurant concepts.
Bring an ice cream store to your community that’s likely to become a go-to destination for customers. Find out more exploring the research pages here. If you’re ready to start a conversation about investing in a Cold Stone Creamery franchise, fill out our inquiry form here, and one of our team members will be in touch!
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