.png)
Introduction
For restaurant brands, marketing automation often stops at email or loyalty campaigns. But real impact happens when those campaigns get to the store level—on windows, tables, counters or menu boards.
That’s the difference between automation and activation.
At IRIS Strategic Marketing Support (IRIS), we work with restaurant brands that manage hundreds of locations and need a system that connects national campaigns with localized rollout. GearBox® is built for this—delivering print kits, vendor routing and signage-ready campaigns across every franchise, region or market tier.
Why Marketing Automation Alone Isn’t Enough for Restaurants
1. Offers Don’t Match What’s in Store
Email or ad automation may promote an offer, but if the signage isn’t in place or the POS doesn’t reflect it, the customer experience breaks.
2. Franchisees Get Generic Materials
Without filtering, store managers must sort through folders of irrelevant files—or worse, create their own off-brand versions.
3. Fulfillment Is Manual and Fragmented
Even when templates exist, restaurant teams often have to download, customize and send them to vendors manually. That creates delays or errors.
4. HQ Can’t Track Who Used What
Without asset usage tracking, marketing has no visibility into which stores launched the campaign and where follow-up is needed.
What Restaurant Marketing Automation Needs to Actually Work
Location-Based Filtering for Every Asset
Franchisees or store managers only see what applies to their tier, market or region. No more guessing.
Editable Templates With Locked Brand Elements
Pricing, store hours and promotions can be customized—but logos, disclaimers and layouts are protected.
Vendor Routing Built In
Once templates are filled, they route directly to approved print or signage vendors. No uploading files or managing emails.
Asset Usage and Launch Reporting
HQ sees who downloaded what, which stores launched the campaign and where adoption is lagging.
How GearBox® Supports Restaurant Brands With Multi-Location Campaigns
GearBox® was built for brands that have to scale fast, stay compliant and keep stores supported with minimal friction.
Restaurant brands use GearBox® to:
- Launch national campaigns with location-specific materials
- Give field teams safe customization without compromising branding
- Automate print, signage and campaign kit delivery
- Track launch readiness by market, region or location
This makes campaign rollout repeatable, fast and accountable.
Use Case: How Applebee’s Simplified In-Store Campaign Rollout
Applebee’s needed a way to equip hundreds of restaurants with pre-approved campaign materials that matched their national advertising—and arrived on time.
With IRIS and GearBox®, they were able to:
- Customize signage kits by region or store tier
- Lock down templates while allowing editable content (like hours and promos)
- Automate fulfillment with routing to print vendors
- Track kit usage and launch progress per location
Read the Applebee’s Case Study
This approach helped Applebee’s move from fragmented execution to reliable campaign rollout at scale.
Conclusion
Marketing automation for restaurants doesn’t end with CRM or digital ads. It has to reach the store—customized, printed and delivered without delays or guesswork.
With GearBox® by IRIS, restaurant marketing teams gain full control over execution—without slowing down the field. Campaigns get filtered, customized and fulfilled across all locations, on time and on brand.
Talk to IRIS to see how restaurant brands use GearBox® to automate not just messaging—but activation.
