Brand marketers invest billions to create an emotional connection between their brand and prospective customers. Unlike the marketer who has little or no help with brand messaging at the point of customer engagement, the marketer with a distributed network has an army of brand warriors ready, willing and able to help deliver and manage marketing messages. When trained, organized and mobilized, this army of local marketers can explode brand value at the local level, creating exponential value for the corporate investments in brand creation, positioning and messaging. This guide is designed to help you identify the impact of the local marketer on your brand, then understand how best to leverage brand value given your business model and consumer interaction.

1. Saepio Distributed Marketing Leadership Series Overview: Exploding Brand Value at the Local Level

2. Introduction This deck provides a top-level overview of Saepio’s guidebook, “Exploding Brand Value at the Local Level” Who should read it: Companies seeking to bring more organization, synergy, structure and efficiency to their marketing operations processes. Companies with a distributed marketing network (i.e. agent/broker networks, channel distribution, VARs, authorized dealer networks, franchise systems, service industry businesses and chain retailers). A full copy of the guidebook can be downloaded at:http://info.saepio.com/distributed-marketing-leadership-series/resources/brand-value/

3. The Local Power of Brand Brand matters more at the local market level than at the national or international level. Brand messages become actions taken by customers and prospects at the local level . Brand value must also often be shared at the local level. For some brands (such as quick service restaurants), the brand message is consistently and singularly delivered throughout the very standardized interaction process. For many marketers, however, the environment is less controlled. In any local buying decision, two things matter. When these two entities work together, brand value can explode at the local level: The brand of the product or service. The relationship to the branded provider of the product or service.

4. Community and Brand The development of social communities has fascinating implications for brand managers. Most connections are ultimately driven by a desire for identity and belonging. The same need that draws individuals to Facebook, Google+, Twitter and other social communities draws them to brand communities. Social platforms provide a new resource for brand marketers to create community with dedicated followers.

5. Community and Brand Successful branding is also about identity and belonging. Some brands have been able to develop community around their brand at a national or global level. Starbucks is an excellent example. Everyone knows someone who will drive five miles past 15 coffee shops to get to Starbucks. Part of the reason may be the coffee, but most of it is the desire to be part of the Starbucks’ identity and community. Not every brand can create a community around an identity. It is unlikely that York HVAC could gain a mass following of brand converts. On the other hand, as an authorized York dealer, Dave’s Heating & Cooling could. Both scenarios call for corporate and local synergy.

6. Who is in the Driver’s Seat? The brand may own the consumer’s mind, but the local marketer owns the customer. To maximize the brand impact in the local market, it’s important that both corporate and local marketers have a good understanding of the roles they should play to optimize effectiveness. Corporate/local interaction varies based on customer interaction patterns.

7. Local Marketing Interaction Styles Understand which local marketing segmentation your organization fits within to help create the strong, logical engagement with local marketers that is needed to explode brand value at the local level. Loyalty – Frequent Segment The local marketer depends on the national brand but is largely responsible for developing a loyal customer community at the store level. Customers make purchases multiple times per year from the same location. A strong customer relationship may be developed between staff and customers. Loyalty – Infrequent Segment The local marketer depends on national brand exposure and strives to be part of building a cult customer following in association with that brand. Purchases typically happen once or less each year and loyalty must be maintained during the lulls.

8. Local Marketing Interaction Styles Convenient Location Segment The local marketer depends heavily on the national brand. Customer loyalty is typically with the national brand rather than with the local store - although in some cases the same store may have many interactions each year with the customer. The customer would be just as satisfied receiving the service from any of the brand’s locations. Retail Assist Segment The local marketer is not focused on the national brand but views it as a complement to its primary brand (the store or business) that generates the customer traffic and garners loyalty. Community Development Segment The local marketer is focused on building community around a brand concept or theme. There is often no product, per se, but human association or connection to an activity or cause. Sales Assist Segment The local marketer needs to develop custom proposals to aid in sales activities.

9. A Win-Win Brand Strategy While corporate marketers are very brand focused, local marketers are all about driving traffic and making sales. These two perspectives can easily collide, with the result being less-than-effective marketing. Employing five “C’s” to the distributed marketing process can go a long way towards making a brand hum at the local level: Common Objectives Consistent Messages Coordinated Message Delivery Cooperative Customer Management Communication, Communication, Communication

10. Synergy that Explodes Brand Value Programs that work foster a meaningful partnership between corporate and local marketers. Goals and messages align. Programs are logical. Each side fully participates in design and execution. Corporate and local marketers must seek a similar relationship to ensure peak performance. Too much corporate and the local marketer tunes out. Too much local and the corporate brand message is diluted. Don’t give up until you find the perfect balance for your organization. Exploding brand value at the local level isn’t necessarily easy but it is absolutely possible.

11. About Saepio Saepio empowers marketers to plan and execute meaningful and engaging marketing campaigns across distributed networks and around the globe – ensuring local relevance, brand consistency, speed to market and significant cost savings. The world’s best known brands turn to Saepio’s powerful software platform and extensive portfolio of support services to automate the marketing process, eliminate redundancy and ensure that all marketers connected to the brand – whether global, distributed, franchise, VAR or chain store marketers – have the assets and tools they need to quickly customize and execute campaigns.

13. www.saepio.com

14. 877.468.7613