Door to door leaflet drops can cause brand damage

Just before the weather turned wintry I relaid my front lawn after putting in land drains.  I reseeded just in time to get a partial growth of grass before everything shut down for the winter. It's not that I'm lawn-proud, it's just that I was fed up with sinking in up to my oxters every time I cut the grass.

Today I was sitting happily doing not much at all when a pizza leaflet came through my door from Pizza GOGO in Bracknell.  They're a franchise.  The delivery operative walked diagonally across the newly seeded grass, stepped over a hedge and was on his way, happily.

Well, happily until I challenged him, when he expressed apology.

I called the Bracknell franchise to be told "We always get these complaints, what you want me to do?"  Well, I don't want a free pizza, that's for sure!  What I want this small businessman to do is to care about his reputation.  His leaflet boy has had a negative effect on his business.  Ok, there will be sales, but the brand is damaged.

Leaflet boy just left our road on the other side of the street.  He has to be either arrogant or stupid.  Right opposite me he walked across a neighbour's front grass!

So I called the franchise again.  THIS time the guy is going to call leaflet boy!

I imagine he'll get a call from the franchisor's management on Monday, too.  Their web site has a "complain here" area.

Now this is a rant, based on facts.  No problem with that, but the message is strong:

If you trade B2C and leaflets get you your business, be very careful whom you employ to drop the leaflets, and monitor their performance.  And have cash clawback in your contract to ensure that complaints hit the leafletters personally, in the wallet.

And if you employ them directly?  Take it even more seriously.  You may be paying a wage to someone who will damage your brand.

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