Consumers can be fickle. One minute, they’re seeking the most ‘grammable, one-of-a-kind moments; the next, they’re seeking familiar experiences with the brands they know, love and trust. For any brand, but especially for franchise and multi-location brands, consistency is crucial.

At Curious Jane, we know that consistency at every consumer touchpoint is what drives brand trust, recognition and preference, not to mention repeat purchase decisions. More than anything, consistency creates loyalty.

From the quality and display of products and services to the voice, tone and look of messaging, to the actual customer experience, brand consistency is a key determiner of success. For more than 20 years we’ve been helping franchise and multi-location businesses – large and small – build brand affinity, that hard-to-create, ongoing consumer preference for one business over another.

Consistency is the Foundation of Good Brand Strategy

When you think about it, for franchise and multi-location brands, consistency is the core driver of the business. Without it, the entire business model, from operations to finance to sales and marketing, would be irrelevant.

Consider a QSR chain like Chick-Fil-A, where consistency rules the day. What if their marketing materials, logos, customer service and advertising tonality varied from market to market? Nothing would be attractive about serious cows beckoning consumers to messy restaurants with rude staff.  Quite the opposite is true: From store to store, customers have rightly grown to expect politeness, cleanliness, efficiency and a good meal. The cows and service marks are an indication to consumers that a beloved brand experience is imminent. No other QSR can compare.

Unrelenting Focus on Customer Touchpoints

A consistent, high-quality, customer experience with a business’ product or service is essential in building strong brands. For franchise brands and those with multiple locations, this is especially true.

We know that everything, from color palettes to logo usage to messaging tone to interior design and customer service, must be the same superior execution from location to location. Without it, a brand is a strong as its worst touchpoint.

Curious Jane helps companies create, maintain and leverage that consistency regardless of the number of units under their brand umbrella. Let’s look at the key areas we focus on and why they’re important:

Visuals – As humans, our vision is our most  highly developed sense. Logos, color palettes, fonts and design templates identify, differentiate and reinforce the brand experience. On the highway, Buc-ee’s black, yellow and red billboards create curiosity and anticipation for its over-the-tip retail experience for hundreds of miles. This sameness from location to location tells the consumer “I’m about to have a good experience.”

Content – The material we put out into the world and where we put it shapes consumer perception. A dynamic content strategy helps brands more efficiently reach their specific audience with content that further strengthens the relationship. Aligning with the same media outlets, influencers, thought leaders and events that our customers consume is essential.

Messaging Tone – How we tell our story is an equally important factor in brand equity. Burger King created a niche for itself by claiming snark as its narrative style. The irreverence has been consistent and has allowed for some consumer forgiveness on quality. The burger chain has used that equity to implement its Reclaim The Flame improvement effort and is now reaping rewards.

Customer Service – Legendary hotel chain Ritz-Carlton changed the way the hospitality industry approached guest relations. By relying on staff members to give input on everything from check-in to housekeeping, the chain fundamentally changed customer service for multi-location businesses. In doing this, they were able to anticipate guests’ needs, surprise and delight them with an unexpected treat, and clearly and promptly address problems without damaging the brand. Importantly, they socialized their experiences across the company. At the root of this? Basic human relationship building: openness, honesty, follow through and trust.

Long Term Strategy; Short Term Tactics

Establishing brand affinity and building equity are long term efforts. Without consistency, sampling replaces affinity and a brand is left with no equity, meaning every decision, misstep or success becomes an existential crisis.

Curious Jane helps smart marketers build for long term success while equipping them to solve short term obstacles. From branding and creative, content strategy and development, to digital activation and public relations, we’re a one stop shop for your growing franchise or multi-location business.

Let’s talk more about building consistent frameworks that fuel your future success.