Posted:08-July-2022
How PR Launched the Burger & Sauce Franchise
by Mel Betts, Director, Grapevine PR
It was John Wanamaker, US merchant, religious leader and political figure who stated: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.” Although somewhat easier in the digital age, it’s still often true, linking leads directly with marketing effort is not always straight forward. However, for the launch of the Burger & Sauce franchise we were able to do precisely that.
This was because the success and ability to track the success of the PR campaign to launch the franchise brand was as a result of some very special circumstances.
Burger & Sauce was launched to the franchise market on 1 July 2022. The business was initially started during the height of the pandemic and by the summer of 2022 four restaurants were already trading successfully. The team, led by experienced management, were keen to extend and offer the concept of fast, fresh burgers to other franchisees to grow the brand across the UK. A plan was hatched!
I got the call from Anthony Round, franchise director at Burger & Sauce a few months before the proposed franchise launch in the spring of 2022. I’d worked with Anthony on previous PR projects and trusted his judgement, but the level of excitement he projected about this new up and coming franchise idea was on another level! Pretty soon, I was also convinced that this fresh franchise opportunity would quickly become flavour of the year! And we were right. Within a week of the official July franchise launch we had almost 20 enquiries from potential franchisees and leads keep flooding in!
Anthony Round, Franchise Director, Burger & Sauce explains: “Because we hadn’t done any other franchise marketing, we could tie all enquiries directly to the PR work Mel had completed. But it took organisation! We worked with Mel to create articles, case studies, news content and arranged the photography upfront. We agreed key messages and a pipeline of content to follow the launch. Meanwhile, Mel worked with the key franchise portals to ensure publication on the launch date and follow-up stories. Within days of the launch I suddenly started to have calls from contacts saying: ‘this Burger & Sauce brand is everywhere, tell me more!”
I’ve promoted hundreds of brands over a 25-year career in PR but the team at Burger & Sauce are one of the best. They are experienced, responsive, organised and focused which makes my job easy! It’s the same approach they use in the restaurants and with franchisees. Even down to the technology to streamline workflows in the kitchens or their success with the UberEATS app, every detail is considered and covered.
The result was that the tailored PR content was prepared and delivered to the right media distribution channels, and we were able to link the entire marketing investment directly back to the franchise leads generated. Within a week of the launch date, we had almost 20 news articles and case studies published and re-shared on social media and importantly we could track the enquires from potential franchisees. Rarely in marketing is it this clear cut!
It takes a special set of circumstances to achieve such a successful launch: great team work, careful planning, a brilliant franchise concept plus some ruthless execution!
It's been super exciting to be part of the senior team behind the Burger & Sauce franchise launch and I look forward to generating more press coverage to promote the benefits of the franchise in the coming months. Clue: watch out for National Burger Day on 25th August!
Interested and want to know more about Burger and Sauce?
The Burger and Sauce profile outlines all aspects of their franchise opportunity and allows you to contact them for further information or to ask a question.
