The German brand and marketing agency, Icon Added Value, has published a new study called “Franchise 2008″. The study is based on the results of telephone interviews held with ten franchisors, 78 franchisees and 1,000 final consumers. The list of franchises looked at include well-known names such as McDonald’s, Ihr Platz, Das Futterhaus, Kieser-Training, Kamps and Subway.
The study (further information available at www.icon-added-value.com) shows, among other things, that a customer’s relationship to the franchise brands looked at has little to do with emotions but rather with the functionality of the product or service on offer. This means, the study concludes, that there is still much potential for franchises within the area of emotional ties. Franchisees believe that they receive good national marketing support but feel this support is insufficient when it comes to regional measures. They also, the study says, felt that joint marketing planning between franchisees and franchisors was particularly weak. The franchisees from 11 of the 13 franchise brands looked at were of the opinion that their franchisor’s support was satisfactory in relation to the franchise fee charged. Both the franchisors and the franchisees felt that the position of the brand was very important for the network’s success. (kbp)
