FEATURES What You Need to Know About Transformative Technology Attention Franchise Marketers: The future is arriving … quickly! BY JAMIE IZAKS AND KATHARINE NICHOLS Transformative technology is technology that inspires a change or causes a shift in viewpoint. The term encompasses multiple industries and sectors from education to healthcare and also applies to marketing. In marketing, there have been several transformative technologies that have changed the industry over the past 20 years, including the Internet, smart phones, the “cloud,” and social media, among many others. Technology is constantly evolving, becoming more streamlined, mobile, connected and automated. There are new opportunities for advertising and marketing than ever before, but also more nuances and details. Mobile marketing, nearfield communication and marketing automation have become huge game changers that can greatly impact one’s return on investment. The industry’s biggest players including Apple, Google and Facebook, maintain significant control in many instances, so marketers must be savvy to the constantly evolving playing field. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR FRANCHISORS AND FRANCHISEES? Although transformative technology can be a daunting concept, we encourage you to take it one step at a time. There are many small steps to create a comprehensive plan that embraces transformative technology options. Here are five key points to keep in mind: Seismic cultural shift to mobile. According to a study by comScore, the number of mobile users exceeded the number of desktop users in 2014 in the United States. Additionally, consumers are spending most their time consuming digital media within applications. In fact, the percentage of time spent on apps is 86 percent, compared to 14 percent for mobile web. The shift to mobile and mobile apps is not a fad; it’s a cultural transformation. Making sure your website is mobileoptimized and that you are considering potential apps are important discussions to be having today. 30 FRANCHISING WORLD NOVEMBER 2015 Make sure you are well-protected. According to Experian’s 2015 Data Breach Industry Forecast, “For businesses, the risk of experiencing a data breach is higher than ever with almost half of organizations suffering at least one security incident in the last 12 months. To address this, 48 percent of organizations increased investments in security technologies in the same timeframe, and 73 percent acknowledged the likelihood of a breach by developing a data breach response plan.” In fact, “hacking as a service” is now a growing industry. Making sure you have a cyber security system and a crisis management plan in place is extremely important. Consider everything hackable. Information is easier to find than ever. Google search terms and Boolean logic make finding information as easy as typing in a few characters. Someone who wants to find information can search Google, scan social media, look at review sites, or get access to public records. These tools can be extremely helpful or an extreme nuisance. Be cognizant of what you post or share online. Almost everything online is archived and can be found. Streamline your social media with helpful apps. There are a number of helpful apps that can be utilized to streamline social media sites for franchisors and franchisees. These include HootSuite and Crowdbooster, which allow you to post to multiple social media platforms at the same time from one dashboard and visualize your analytics. WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND ABOUT TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGY The opportunities to market your brand are endless, but it’s important to examine everything with a critical eye. Here are four main points to keep in mind as you examine new technologies: (Continued on page 32)
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