Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2016 | Page 58

Supplier Spotlight:
BY KERRY PIPES

LOCAL MARKETING EXPERTISE
Silvercrest Advertising offers seamless solutions for every kind of owner-operator

W

illiam Rodriguez and Ryan Gesler started
their own company with a dream and just
$50 in the bank. Today, Silvercrest Advertising is a major player in the franchise sector where
they provide not only strategic media planning and
buying services, but also leverage their relationships
with thousands of media vendors to bring their clients customized media solutions.

But it’s their proprietary Localized Media Automation Platform (LMap) that’s getting the most attention.
The technology lets users select the footprint they
want to reach, choose which advertising tactics they
want to use, customize creative, and pay for the entire
job—in a one-stop shopping marketing destination.
“Our company has grown organically by listening
to our clients’ needs,” says Rodriguez. “We started in
2011 with $50 and no clients, and today we manage
$23 million in revenue and work with over 25 brands
that represent 20,000 franchisees in several countries.”
He says one of the company’s keys to success is
their policy of providing the software at no cost. “We
have the benefit of being great at building ad tech,
but we also have the know-how to execute media
through that ad tech,” he says. This allows Silvercrest
to give away the software to customers and make
money on the execution of the media.

LMap
P OWE R E D

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silvercrest
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William Rodriguez

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He likens the process to how iTunes works. You can
install iTunes on your computer at no cost and load
all your movies, music, and even e-books into iTunes
and enjoy them at no cost. However, if you want to
buy a song on iTunes, you can. The song is cheaper
than having to purchase the actual single and Apple
still takes a percentage of the transaction. “By aggregating all of our buying power for our clients, we can
provide cost savings that no one else can and we can
still make money,” he says.
Silvercrest understands the franchising model intimately. Whether it’s a franchisor, a single- or multiunit operator, or a brand with 5 locations or 5,000,
Silvercrest can tailor a process that gets results.
That’s important when you consider that many brands
are struggling to wrangle franchisees to comply with
brand standards and procedures. Often, franchisees
find the tools offered to be complicated and cumber-

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