Advertising, we have a problem.

The agency industry is unlike any other. People in other industries don’t provide their would-be clients with “spec work” for free. So why are agencies expected to think for free when pitching for a new account? It’s a topic that strikes a chord throughout the industry with an ongoing debate over the question of should agencies be paid to pitch? 

Franchising is a model that allows business owners to grow their businesses and expand the brand. Franchisees buy into a brand that has concept, operations and marketing support. However, franchisees still need to build their own businesses. Successful companies never stop marketing. Consider marketing to be food, not medicine; businesses need ongoing marketing as sustenance, not just a quick burst to cure a problem. Marketing brings in business. So why do so many franchise brands struggle to get franchisees to fully participate in local store marketing?

Although memory lane isn’t a physical street, it’s a place in everyone’s hearts once you reach a certain age.  But for some, memory lane includes reminiscing about a simpler time in history. Before the days of instantaneous uploading, 24/7 access, dings from texts, beeps from Facebook messages, endless emails and a barrage of unsolicited ones too.

In today’s complex and disruptive world, few things are as important to a brand’s success than customer experience (CX). But with customers having more choice and even greater expectations for positive experiences than ever before, delivering on it is sometimes easier said than done. 

In a recent study by Forbes Insights and The Trade Desk, 42% of CMOs identified customer experience as one of their top three challenges, and 36% said improving customer experience is their primary mandate for 2019. Today’s marketers are faced with fragmented media consumption habits, marketing-savvy consumers, and social and political divides at every turn. So, brands have much to gain by strategically balancing their focus (and budget) between customer acquisition and customer retention.