New Study by Washie Reveals Why Your Bathroom Matters
When discussing MULO (multi-location) brands, we focus on their inventory, menu, drive-thru, and talent. But you don’t always hear much about the paper towel dispenser or the toilet plunger in the bathroom —until Washie. If a consumer walks out of a bathroom talking about the appearance or smell of a restroom at a restaurant, retailer, […]
Multi-Family Housing: The Brand Experience Part 2
These days, MULO (multi-location) brands are not just restaurants, retailers, and service businesses. As society’s housing and work needs evolve, apartment complexes, residential property managers, and live/work landlords are also building brands. The first part of this series dealt with the unique challenges of MULO real estate brands. We also spoke to Lia Nichole Smith, […]
Who Says Chickens Can’t Fly? Raising Cane’s is Soaring (BOOM)
Why did the chicken cross the road to Cancun? To meet with Raising Cane’s 3,000 team members to present the plan for the future! Raising Cane’s is a multi-billion-dollar brand with over 800 locations. Founded in 1996, the company’s sales have been on the upswing. The brand gathered its team in Mexico to present its […]
Content Creators are Upping Their Game
When we hear “content creators” and “influencers” we may think primarily about people unboxing new products, waxing poetic about their cosmetics, sharing branded recipes, or merely dancing on TikTok. Many of these people are “citizen marketers” who promote products for a paycheck. However, another group of content creators focuses on developing more in-depth content that […]
Holidays 2024 Installment 1: Megan Harbold Predicts the Spending Future
We recently announced that because the holidays are a huge and complex spending season for MULO (multi-location) brands we are reaching out to industry leaders for their predictions about holidays 2024. Our first perspective is from a company with a broad and deep understanding of spending data and today’s marketing strategies and tactics. Skai VP […]
Multi-family Housing: The Brand Experience Part 1
We met Jennifer Carter, VP of Marketing of the Multifamily Media Network, at the Blueprint conference, where commercial and residential real estate businesses shared their perspectives about the multi-family industry’s future and the marketing and technologies behind it. As we spoke with Carter, we realized that multi-family homes (e.g., apartment complexes, condos, co-ops, and mixed-used […]
Wings, Breasts, and Betting: The Evolution of the Sports Bar
Technology is having an impact on ALL types of MULO (multi-location) businesses. With football season upon us, thousands of people are flocking to the ubiquitous sports bar to watch their favorite teams, interact with fellow fans, drink beer, spiked seltzer, and Bloody Marys (in the case of early games), and cheer and boo (all while posting on […]
Shots & Snacks: New Placer.ai Study Reveals How Health Clinics Help Grocers
The concept of stores within stores is nothing new. Sephora has a deal with Kohls. Athleisure stores now often feature workout classes. And Tommy Bahama is both a retailer and an island bar and restaurant. Now, a new study by Placer.ai reveals that placing health clinics within a grocers store can significantly impact traffic and […]
A Chat With Lucy Kriz of Criteo, a History Buff & Futurist
Lucy Kriz, VP of Global Brands at Criteo, is one of the 30 inspirational speakers coming to Street Fight LIVE 2024 on November 7th. Kriz is involved in the evolution of the media that builds MULO (multi-location) brands. To give you a preview of Kriz’ expertise and perspectives, we interviewed her about how she got […]
Holidays 2024: MULO Experts Predict the Spending Future
Although pumpkins currently line store shelves and turkeys are being prepped for November, retailers, restaurants, and service businesses (like spas, salons, and venues that sell gift certificates) have been thinking about the December holidays for a long time. This year, consumers are expected to spend about $241B, setting a new record. Seasonal spending is about […]
MULO & Meta & An Amazing Speaker Line-up!
200 senior professionals will be gathering at Meta’s headquarters in Chicago on November 7th for the re-launch of the Street Fight LIVE Summit. Will you join us? Or get left behind by your MULO (multi-location) competitors? Make sure every one of your locations is booming. Or, if you support MULO brands, this is a fantastic […]
The MULO Dozen: September in Review
As we head into the final months of 2024, let’s focus on what MULO (multi-location) brands, agencies, and tech companies must do to thrive. In addition to these 12 news flashes, please join us at Street Fight LIVE to get an in-depth view of the brands and companies transforming the MULO ecosystem. Checkers named a […]
Retail Media: Is it Working? Perspectives from Perion
Perion is a company that connects advertisers with consumers. They work with leading global retailers and brands such as Albertsons, Kroger, Macy’s, and Home Depot. Perion’s CEO and Director, Tal Jacobson, recently spoke with us about the surge in retail media networks. As more MULO (multi-location) brands develop their own advertising networks, we are starting […]
Marketing Storytelling: 4 Success Tips from Props
Especially as automation changes the MULO (multi-location) marketing landscape and brands use AI to target and “talk” to their consumers and prospects, the value of human-to-human connection or storytelling becomes more important. How do MULO retail, restaurant, and service brands build real loyalty among the people who spend (or could spend) with them? Joseph Perello, […]
Who’s Minding the Store? Who’s Watching the Kids?
This election season, the issue of childcare is a significant topic of conversation. MULO (multi-location) brands are already challenged by labor shortages, rising minimum wages, and ongoing retention challenges. Add to that scheduling and expense challenges that arise from childcare duties and those challenges get even more complex. Childcare costs in the U.S. are staggeringly […]
The Drive-Thru Keeps Growing (Literally)
A new Chick-fil-A concept store offers six-second meal prep and a four-lane drive-thru. After all, we live in a fast-paced, impatient world, and getting your food faster without leaving your car is a common practice these days. During the pandemic, the drive-thru became a regular part of our lives. Operators now realize that this model […]
Why is Waffle House So Successful? An FSR Conversation with Danny Klein
Danny Klein is the Editorial Director of FSR (full-service restaurant), a media company covering the food industry. A recent study on the top brands in the FSR world has implications for any MULO (multi-location) brand—restaurants, retailers, and service businesses. The study, created in partnership with Datassential, ranks the brands based on their number of units. The […]
AI in Advertising, According to Criteo
Romain Lerallut, VP of Engineering at Criteo, believes that AI will play a fundamental role in advertising for MULO (multi-location) brands. Enabling marketers to “speak” directly to consumers at all stages of the decision-making and purchase process, AI will not only result in more effective campaigns but also save companies advertising dollars and resources. What […]
How to Get That Precious Email Address: A New Study by LiveIntent
Close to 40 percent of brands are increasing their email budgets. Although consumers’ inboxes remain packed, email marketing remains one of the most effective options for targeting and attribution. A new survey by LiveIntent offers some compelling data and implications for those MULO (multi-location) marketers using email as part of their marketing strategy. The biggest […]
How to Score a MULO Touchdown: 7 Winning Points
Multi-location retailers, restaurants, and even service businesses (the MULO ecosystem) stand to benefit from football season — if they have the right marketing and sales playbook! Applebee’s (a 42-year-old brand with 1,600+ locations) forged a deal with the NFL. But even those brands who are late to the game this football season can profit from […]