Presented at the 2009 MYOB Excellence in Franchising Awards, Mr Rental has won the award for Excellence in Marketing, which recognises success in the strategy and execution of a marketing program within a franchise system.

Mr Rental launched its rebranded business in mid-2007 involving a national campaign combining television, radio and catalogues as well as closely monitored brand awareness and lead generation.

Judges’ comment: Mr Rental’s submission was a clear winner as the processes for communication and consultation with all stakeholders, the detailed planning and implementation, the quality of advertising and outstanding results achieved make them a worthy winner.

The Mr Rental network, consists of more than 60 stores across Australia and New Zealand. According to general manager, Alan Payne, the award is a credit to the national support team, as well as the franchisees who support the network’s marketing campaigns so enthusiastically.

“Overhauling an entire brand, which we did in 2007, is not an easy decision, and it requires a lot of time and commitment by the entire group. We are hugely motivated by the response by our franchisees across Australia and New Zealand who got behind it and continue to support our marketing strategies moving forward.”

Payne believes that keeping ahead of a changing market requires the provision of

leading edge systems and support to franchisees, and this includes regular review of marketing strategies to ensure they are achieving the best possible results.

The FCA submission was based around the recent improvements to the marketing campaign that was designed around the rebranded business. Since launching the rebranded business in mid-2007 with a national campaign combining television, radio and catalogues, Mr Rental has closely monitored brand awareness and lead generation to ensure significant return on investment for the network.

With annual research undertaken by third-party firm, Mr Rental’s marketing team has been able to identify significant areas of opportunity on which to focus, while being able to accurately measure year-on-year improvements in the campaign.

Ultimately this marketing campaign was pursued to increase brand awareness and drive sales and market share.