A national campaign has one simple, hard requirement: start everywhere on the same day and end everywhere on the same day. That is where manual operations break.
Why the end date matters more than the start
A late campaign is an annoyance. An expired campaign still on screen is a commercial problem: the customer asks at the counter for a promotion that has finished, and the location has to choose between honouring the price or disappointing them. Either way, the chain pays.
Every published piece is born with an end date. If nobody has to remember to take it down, nothing expires on screen.
Screen groups: structure before campaign
Before publishing anything, organise screens into groups that reflect how the chain actually operates:
| Grouping | Example | Why separate |
|---|---|---|
| Region | North, South, Midlands | Pricing and availability differ |
| Store format | High street, mall, kiosk | Different space and audience |
| Screen position | Window, counter, waiting area | Different content by function |
| Audience profile | Student, family | Different offer |
The flow of a well-run campaign
16:9 artwork designed to be read from three metres — not a resized Instagram post.
Which screen groups receive the piece and which are excluded.
Start and end date and time, set at the moment of publishing.
One action from head office reaches every location in that group.
See which screens actually displayed it — and act only where it failed.
What to do about the location that is offline
It will happen: the internet drops, the TV is switched off, the device is on the wrong socket. The point is having visibility of it. A chain that knows 3 of 40 screens did not update can fix it with a phone call; a chain that does not know finds out from a customer.
National campaign vs local promotion
Both have to exist in the same loop. The model that works reserves most of the screen time for network content and a fixed slot for what is local. The permission structure is covered in standardising communication across the chain.
How to measure a campaign across a network
- % of screens that displayed the campaign on day 1
- Average time between publishing and actual display
- Number of expired pieces found on air
- Sales of the promoted item, per location, before and during
- How many locations asked for an exception (a sign the campaign was badly fitted)
As the chain grows, those numbers become the basis of governance — the subject of screen governance across a network.
One publish, the whole network updated
Schedule the start and end of a campaign and track what is on air in each location. 30 days free, no card.
Try it freeFrequently asked questions
Can I schedule a campaign in advance?+
Yes, and it is ideal for key dates: the piece is prepared weeks ahead and goes live on its own, without depending on anyone being in the store.
How do I handle locations with a different menu or catalogue?+
With screen groups by store format. Sending the same piece to locations that do not stock the product frustrates customers and wears down the franchisee relationship.
How many pieces should a campaign have?+
Few and good. A campaign with ten pieces dilutes the message across the loop; two or three, well repeated, make it stick.
What about franchisees who resist technology?+
Adoption rises when the system removes work instead of adding it. If the franchisee stops making artwork and stops swapping USB sticks, the resistance usually does not last long.
