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comment SO, JUST WHAT IS YOUR
FAVOURITE BRAND?
Adam Joseph
WE’LL ALL BE DROPPING
LIKE FLIES PRETTY SOON
Al Crawford
Insights manager, Executive planning
Herald Sun director,
Clemenger BBDO
It’s a very simple question. And for many people, Last week I read a survey from Careercast.com
this will be relatively easy to answer – their listing advertising as the fourth most stressful job
favourite brand will either be Google or Apple. around. It turns out that we narrowly lost out on a
A harder question for many is: what’s your podium position to surgeons, commercial airline
favourite Australian brand, and why? While you pilots and photo journalists.
ponder your answer, I’ll share mine with you. Personally, I only have to look in the mirror to
Sipping an All Berry Bang smoothie one lunchtime confirm the ravages of my day job. When I started
it occurred to me that I had my favourite Aussie out I had a thick mane of dark, ringleted hair, olive
brand in hand – Boost Juice Bars. Boost provides skin and stood at an imposing six foot three.
my day with a bold splash of colour, and passes the However, the survey did give me cause to think
taste test and the health test. There is also the about why we ended up just below a selection of
brand experience of the juice bars themselves, jobs which might potentially require you to land an
which a bottled smoothie just can’t deliver. Boost aeroplane in the Hudson River, dodge sniper fire in a
staff are friendly and always seem to be enjoying war zone, or where people genuinely do die if you
themselves, despite making their 100th smoothie mess up. I could, of course, reach for the usual ‘woe
of the day. So just what is the brand’s magic are us’ reasons – eroded margins since the glory
ingredient? Well for starters, they have a pretty days of the 1980s without client-service
good brand philosophy – simply “Love life!” expectations diminishing, or advertising being on
Brooke Ruscuklic, Boost’s international the frontline with industries that suffer when
business and marketing manager, says: “Our recessions blow into town. I’m sure the world weeps
product is about the entire experience – the for us. Us and estate agents and financiers.
theatre of seeing your smoothie made in front of Truth be told, though, I suspect that there are
you, the vibrant environment with bright colours, two big reasons that advertising can kick the
loud music and happy people. Naturally, when you clackers out of you. One’s endemic and another is a
walk out of a store you’re likely to be feeling pretty blight that we bring upon ourselves.
uplifted before you’ve even had a sip. That’s the The endemic reason lies in the fact that this is a
Boost Juice difference!” deeply subjective industry with no objectively right
From a marketing perspective, I think Boost is a answer. Worse still, everybody has an opinion,
very interesting case study in the franchise model, leaving you in a state of almost perpetual argument
and there are plenty of catering success stories in with a suite of self-proclaimed experts that include
Australia. According to a recent BRW magazine your opinionated self. I did debate club at school for
feature, the top 10 fastest-growing franchises a couple of hours a week and that knocked the wind
here include three caterers– Grill’d, SumoSalad out of me. Little did I know that I’d be doing it for
and Healthy Habits. Boost doesn’t make it into the the duration of a career. (Interestingly, one of the
fastest-growing list this year but it topped the least stressful jobs on the survey was that of a
BRW “Fast franchises” list back in 2005. Today computer systems engineer. I mean, the last time
Boost has over 220 global stores and is expanding that anything argued back at them was Hal in 2001:
into China. A Space Odyssey.)
So what can marketers and wannabe The self-generated reason lies in the Lord of the
franchisees learn from the Boost example? What is Flies environment that advertising tends to breed.
the key to franchise nirvana? I asked Ruscuklic Lots of Type A personalities with big egos and low
what makes a great franchise partner. “Someone self-esteem makes for an industry atmosphere
who is into it because they live the Boost values, as often more akin to American politics than a trade
opposed to taking it on purely as a business union. I doubt actuaries (second least stressful
venture. They instinctively get the ‘Love life’ profession) preen themselves so relentlessly at
culture, and are as passionate about the Boost industry functions and then stab each other in the
brand as we are. And the very best franchise back so adeptly in the blogosphere. No wonder life
partners are the ones who are working in their in advertising, to borrow a Thomas Hobbes phrase,
TO MAKE A business as well as on their business.” is often nasty, brutish and short.
It seems to me that one of the key things You can’t get away from the arguments, but you
COMMENT EMAIL behind running a successful franchise is when your can be nice. Failing that, you could always become a
EDITORIAL@BANDT.COM.AU grassroots staff live and love the brand. statistician.
12 BANDT.COM.AU MAY 01 2009