Local Marketing Challenge #17: Show, don't just tell

When it comes to engaging your local partners (whether that’s retailers, branches, dealers, franchisees, affiliates or any other sales channel) in your latest brand or category campaign, there's one thing more powerful than a perfect PowerPoint (believe it or not!) ...

Peer success stories.

Retailers always listen more closely to their peers than they do to Head Office. That’s not a criticism; it's just the reality on the ground. When they see others in the network trying something new, achieving standout results, or pulling in extra footfall, it sparks something. Curiosity. Competition. And yes, FOMO.

That’s where you, as a Marketing Manager, can make a real difference.

Peer use cases can be leveraged to spotlight local wins – showcase what’s working, not just what’s expected. Create healthy competition by positioning local successes as benchmarks others can aim for. Build trust – retailers trust retailers. Peer results feel authentic and achievable. It can also drive momentum if you share performance data, visuals, and simple ‘how they did it’ breakdowns to encourage fast follower behaviour.

At We Are Acuity, we help marketing teams present and amplify the stories that matter. Whether that’s a store smashing sales targets thanks to a clever local tweak, or one brave retailer trying something new and proving the model works, these stories fuel belief and action.

The result is better local uptake, stronger brand consistency, and more value squeezed from every pound of campaign spend.

So, if you're sitting on great stories that aren’t being shared or struggling to connect national plans with local buy-in, it might be time to unlock the power of peer.

We help multi-location brands do exactly that every day. Let’s talk about how we can help you.

You may be interested in watching our Best-Practice Retailer Marketing Webinar. With a focus on integrating National and Local communications to fully engage your local network, we’ll show you how smarter working and brilliant tools can really make a difference in this crucial and evolving landscape. Watch it here.