Barking Mad, the UK’s leading pet care franchise, (part of the Franchise Brands plc group) is in esteemed company having been shortlisted for the British Franchise Association’s prestigious HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards, in the brand awareness category, alongside Riverford Organic Farmers and Stage Coach Performing Arts.

Barking Mad, the UK’s leading pet care franchise, (part of the Franchise Brands plc group) is in esteemed company having been short-listed for the British Franchise Association’s prestigious HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards, in the brand awareness category, alongside Riverford Organic Farmers and Stage Coach Performing Arts.

The annual awards are a celebration of excellence in franchising, highlighting success in all its various forms. Franchisor entries are now closed and the initial short list for each award category has been completed and announced. The Bfa judges expect that as a franchisor finalist, the brand and network will be reaping the rewards of a well thought out strategy that is forward thinking, innovative and stands out in the market place.

Consumers will be engaging with the brand on different levels and loyalty will be on the up. Judges are not looking for a one off campaign, they are looking for consistency and sustainability that can only be achieved by an ongoing commitment to understand the consumer market and how to effectively engage with it.

Richard Dancy, Head of Marketing at Barking Mad said: “Our network has benefitted from a mass social media appeal, a full re-brand and targeted brand awareness benefitting from over 20,000,000* views of our TV ad! Barking Mad came of age in 2017/18 with substantial but extremely efficiently invested campaigns in consumer brand marketing for the benefit of their 80 strong network. We have always led the pack since arguably creating the dog holiday industry back in 2000. This year has seen Barking Mad embrace a truly integrated marketing campaign using varied techniques including re-brand, PR, TV, web, print and event campaigns.”

Barking Mad founder and Managing Director, Lee Dancy, said: “It has been a truly unique and historical year for the Barking Mad brand. We are delighted for all those involved in our fantastic dog-loving business family as they have worked very hard and fully deserve it. We’ve known we’re Barking Mad for years and so it’s very rewarding to hear that many more across the country do now too!”
Winners will be named at the BFA HSBC UK Franchise Award Ceremony, which will be held on 28^th of June at the ICC Birmingham.

Pip Wilkins, CEO of the BFA, said:“I’d like to thank everyone who entered and congratulate our finalists, you have already earned the right to proudly display our new bfa HSBC Franchise Award Finalist logo. It’s wonderful to see so many great entries, the effort and commitment that goes into every one is undeniable.”

Andrew Brattesani, UK Head of Franchising HSBC, said: To recognise the achievements of all the finalists of the bfa HSBC Franchise Awards, 2018 is an essential part of promoting excellence and best practise for all franchisors working in the UK. Comparing one great entry against another is never easy, particularly as every year the standard seems to increase.”

If you are considering buying a Barking Mad pet care franchise, you can rest assured that their team of experts are constantly working to increase awareness of the award winning brand! With 2017 seeing a stylish and contemporary rebrand, a nationwide television advertising campaign (a first in the industry), a focus on customer reviews, social media support, events and structured monthly marketing PR projects, you could be forgiven for wondering, what next? 2018 has already got off to a flying start for Barking Mad though, with an official ‘puppy partnership’ with life changing national charity, Dogs for Good and the official launch of a wedding dog sitting service to commemorate the upcoming royal nuptials!

If you have any queries about becoming a Barking Mad business owner, the award winning dog sitters would love to chat to you. Submit an enquiry form below to find out more!

Barking Mad is part of the Franchise Brands plc group of companies and is the UK’s favourite dog holiday company, as verified by TrustPilot.