Study Says Local Marketing Will Be Pivotal for Brands in 2017

In its third edition, The State of Local Marketing Report published today gives global and national brands that sell through a distributed network of local dealers, agents, franchisees, retailers and distributors a blueprint for success in 2017. Compiling recent trends, original research and prescriptive advice for executing distributed local marketing, the report highlights strategies local marketing leaders are using to reach consumers with the right local context.

"As we continue to define the local marketing category, we wanted to share some insight in to what is happening at the local level and showcase key learnings from our clients who are leaders in this space," said Clarke Smith, Brandmuscle's Chief Strategy Officer. "This year's report combines our original research with advice from marketing leaders who are dealing with today's local marketing challenges for some of the largest brands in North America."

Brandmuscle's State of Local Marketing Report research draws from more than 2,100 survey responses from small business affiliates of global and national brands as well as an analysis of hundreds of millions of dollars' in channel marketing investments made by brands over the past five years. Input from corporate marketing leaders and stories from local affiliates are also highlighted throughout the report.

A new feature of the report is Brandmuscle's State of Local Marketing Quadrant™—a visual breakdown comparing 28 marketing tactics across two scales: perceived effectiveness and ease of use. The Quadrant helps corporate marketers understand where their local affiliates need support and where that support will be most impactful. It also shows areas where brands might be investing too much, especially as the mobile revolution breaks the consumer path to purchase from its traditional model.

Major findings in the report include:

• 57% of local affiliates execute digital marketing on their own and could use support from a national brand
• Marketers still invested 60% of their overall co-op and MDF spend on traditional marketing tactics in 2015
• 93% of local affiliates plan to maintain or increase spending on digital marketing in 2017
• Local affiliates are looking to corporate brands for help with additional co-op funding, digital and social media content and marketing training
• 3 out of 4 local affiliates find local events effective or extremely effective, but the tactic ranks as the most difficult to implement
• Local affiliates are eight times more likely to see lead generation when they advertise on social media (compared to other social media approaches)

Complimentary access to Brandmuscle's State of Local Marketing Report can be found here.

About Brandmuscle

Brandmuscle is the leading provider of local marketing solutions in North America. We provide the tools and resources for global brands who sell through distributed networks (i.e., retail stores, franchisees, dealers, agents, channel partners, and reps) to drive sales at the local level with brand-compliant, customized marketing across all mediums and formats. Headquartered in Chicago, with major offices in Austin, Cleveland, Kansas City and New Jersey, Brandmuscle helps more than 275 of the world's leading brands "own local" by leveraging our technology platform to enable hyperlocal media planning and execution, digital marketing and channel incentive program management. For more information about Brandmuscle call (866) 464-4342 or visit www.brandmuscle.com.

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SOURCE Brandmuscle

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