Here's how you can infuse creativity to establish a powerful brand identity as a franchisee.

It is very important to embrace core to get any business in franchise mode. This is the key to replicating the business in to franchise model. For example if the brand is cafe then the coffee taste and cafe appearance is very important for franchise expansion. If there is no good taste in the coffee brand will definitely will not be a great cafe brand and similarly cafe appearance has to be unique to the brand for each outlet.

You have to live the brand. You bought into the franchise system financially, but that is the minimum. The best way to stand out is to be the best implementer and believer of the existing system.

A brand should inject local flavours to a get a mass appeal to be successful in a market but only after keeping the core brand values and appearance intact. This is a great success formula by adapting local flavours. A great example is McDonald’s adaptation of Veg flavours like Paneer in Indian market and similarly avoiding Beef and pork in Indian market to adopt to local culture. Also, a local flavour can also be a great success globally and can be replicated all across.

This is where a franchisee can play a crucial role in elevating a brands presence locally. While the national & regional level marketing is generally taken care by the franchisor, the franchisees role is to market the brand effectively within their territories to gain quick market share. Imagine you have a car whose tank is full (period of your agreement) and can run at 100 Miles per hour (combination of acquiring consumers via national and local marketing) and you are just running it at 30 Miles depending upon the franchisor to get you your customers. Find creative ways to reach your target audience within the first few months of opening your franchise and if that requires additional spending, do it. Get to 100 MPH ASAP.

Especially in a multi-cultural country like India, you may want to get your visuals done in local languages. Not only that, go a step ahead to merge the local customs and traditions into the branding with the help of the franchisor and you will in no time seem like a brand that resonates with your target audience seamlessly. They make a world of a difference in engaging audiences spread across a vast demographics and culturally diverse market like India.

The same way that you're doing the best to present the brand in your unique way, you need to enable your team to do the same. At the local level, the team that operates the business day to day is the most connected with the customer and the market. Engaging them to become brand advocates can be a super power.

Having helped over 870+ brands with their franchise development at sparkle★minds, we lay a special emphasis on creating unique differentiators for the brand while setting up the foundation. You must stand out of the clutter and yet be able to reach your target audience with ease. A creative marketing strategy helps acquire customers easily and ensures that your franchisees get to success faster than normal. As a franchisee you may want to delve deep into the marketing support and the creative flair and freedom the brand provides while ensuring the core is in tact. This aspect is very critical to achieving the desired ROI's along with other support functions.