2013 bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards shortlisting

In the run-up to the announcement of the winners for the 2013 bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards, supported by Express Newspapers, it’s time to focus in on the 13 companies that made it onto the shortlist of finalists and hope to take home the prizes at the black-tie awards dinner on 4 July at the Honourable Artillery Company, London.

Showcasing exceptional franchisors operating in the UK today, the awards are split into three categories. First up, it’s the three finalists in the Express Newspapers Brand Builder category, which recognises franchisors who have taken an innovative and effective approach to successfully develop and manage their brand.

A strong brand is a key benefit for franchisees, irrespective of network size, and franchisors must ensure they continuously evolve their strategy to secure their brand's future growth, recognition and success. So what helped these three franchises stand out from the competition this year?

EnviroVent
Envirovent develops, manufactures and installs ventilations systems nationwide and provides a guaranteed solution to condensation and mould, as well as improving indoor air quality. It’s a niche sector that they’ve largely carved out by themselves, an impressive feat by itself.

In their own words, a huge challenge for their branding is to turn “not-so-sexy” products into something that homeowners and businesses want. They’ve attacked that challenge head-on, using a series of different mediums to convey their key messages, whilst maintaining overall brand consistency – and achieving an impressive 56% overall ROI from branding campaigns over the last 12 months.

With a revamped logo, slogan and mascot for the company’s products, EnviroVent used national and local platforms to get their messages across. Digital and e-marketing campaigns combined with strong use of social media drove website traffic up by 86% year-on-year in January and February, at a time when a major national television commercial was generating huge results for the brand too.

The company claims the results of their initiatives include an increase of over 230% in enquiries; nearly 300% in general sales leads; 89% increase in word of mouth and referral sales; and a doubling of direct TV sales for January and February compared to the whole of 2012. In fact the February turnover alone was the same as the company’s annual turnover just 5 years ago!
Alongside a direct approach from Rentokil, amongst others, to work in partnership, and numerous awards garnered within their sector, EnviroVent’s results show the success of a strong branding campaign.

Revive!
Smart repair franchise Revive! has grown quickly since a management buyout of the business in 2004. Network turnover doubled from 2008-2012, with a further 25% forecast to be added in 2013, and the directors credit strong branding as front and centre for this growth. All the more impressive is that this has happened during the economic downturn that has crippled so many UK businesses.

The franchise has used accreditation as a central feature of strengthening its brand within the automotive industry. The development of links with the Institute of Motor Industry (IMI) led to the company being the only smart repair organisation on the working group that created the Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) for Cosmetic Repairs. Franchisees and staff work towards their ATA (over 50% are now qualified) and Revive! have also developed an internal accreditation for those newer to the industry to help them on their way. They have also been award IMI accreditation centre status.

Using the foundation of their demonstrated technical expertise, Revive! set up a franchise steering group to include franchisees in branding plans. Resulting initiatives have been wide-ranging and reach an audience of several million, including the sponsorship of Andrew Jordan in the British Touring Car Championship; involvement in the Tesco Clubcard scheme; features in motor industry magazines; and an increased online and social media presence.

Ultimately, their impressive brand performance has been validated not only by the increased turnover figures, but also by the brands that Revive! now work with. In September 2012 the franchise was appointed as the smart repair partner to the Ford network, and amongst others has also been approached by Volvo.

Signs Express
Being a specialist signs and graphics company, you’d expect Signs Express to know all about branding! As they operate in a highly-competitive marketplace, with several thousand graphics companies in the UK, when it came to their rebrand they had to get it right.

Careful research with clients, professionals and the network saw the franchise rebrand itself with great success. A substantial project, they’ve changed logos, marketing strategies and the focus of their brand proposition, concentrating on the company’s expertise and not just on price.

Crucially, they recognised from the beginning how important it was to involve franchisees every step of the way, from the initial thoughts on possible new directions through to the communication and implementation of the fresh ideas.

Keeping their franchisees informed, engaged and highly involved was a critical factor in the success of the brand update; 40% of the network has been with them for 10 years or longer, so modernising on this scale needed careful management. The senior management team attended a series of regional meetings to discuss the changes that achieved 100% franchisee attendance, and helped the buy-in of the plans. Minimising costs to franchisees helped too, with the franchisor bearing much of the fees involved.

The proof of course is in the results, and Signs Express have plenty to shout about. A hugely successful PR campaign, online initiatives and increased social media presence have seen brand awareness increase substantially; average sales have increased by some 10% per order; and franchisee satisfaction on marketing support was around 50% above average in a recent benchmarking survey.