A-Star Sports was awarded Best PR Campaign prize at franchising sector awards ceremony.The multi-sports coaching franchise business scooped the coveted prize in this years’ Franchise Marketing Awards.A-Star Sports co-founder Sharon Bassett, who is also the company’s Director of Marketing and Communications, said: “The franchising sector is rich in innovative, quick-thinking businesses and to be recognised in this way by experts in the industry is a wonderful tribute to the entire team at A-Star Sports.“As a very new business, we needed a clear strategy to build the brand and create credibility as a franchisor, as well as cementing our reputation as an ethical, quality-driven business,” she added.The judging panel said A-Star Sports had run “a well-executed and detailed PR campaign that included a wide variety of media”. Mac Tools was named as a finalist in the prestigious category. Wagging Tails scooped top prize for Best Franchise Marketing Support and was shortlisted as a finalist for Best Website. Lisa and Jim Suswain took their 20-month-old daughter, Eliza-Grace, to the exhibition at London’s Olympia, to collect their prize for Best Franchise Marketing Support. Lisa said: “To be up against big companies using PR and marketing companies and win, even though we do all our marketing ourselves, is a great honour. “The award itself was in recognition of everything we do to support our franchisees with their marketing, from social media to press adverts and radio interviews. This award was in recognition of the support that we feel all franchisees deserve when they take a franchise.”
The Best Print Advert accolade went to GreenThumb Lawn Treatment Service and the company’s Mark Hallam was there to collect the award. Mark said he was “very pleased” with the award and the way the advert evolved from a concerted team effort. He commented: “It’s like affirmation from the industry that we are on the right track. It was very much a team collaboration and it’s just really nice to know that people are really looking at the advert.” Other brands to catch the judges’ eyes for this category include ice cream-selling franchise Baskin-Robbins.
Cash Converters, Belvoir Lettings and Auditel were commended, but Dyno won the Best Website award and the company’s Hanieh Arjmandi collected it.
Adrian Goodsell, Head of Franchise Sales at Venture Marketing Group, organisers of the exhibition, said: “This year’s awards again attracted a host of impressive entries and have shown that franchise businesses, whether well-established or start-ups, are forging ahead with innovative and exciting marketing campaigns to promote their business.”
Published: 17 May 2013
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