Marketing Strategy & Communication Plan for F&B Chains
Where to Play – What to Do – How to Measure
8 sessions for F&B chain owners who already have an in-house marketing team or work with an agency. The course builds the ability to create system-level strategy and the management mechanisms to direct the team: brand positioning, communication plan and crisis handling, content plan, advertising budget, in-store marketing, CRM and loyalty, dashboard and annual budget.
What is your chain facing with marketing?
7 situations of chain owners who already have an in-house team or hire an agency.
People are doing the work, but you do not know how to direct and evaluate it
The in-house team and agency keep running every month, but the owner has no framework to approve plans and cannot tell good results from useless busyness.
Spending on marketing but unable to measure results
The budget goes out every month without connecting to revenue. You cannot tell vanity metrics from real ones, or know which line to increase or cut.
Every outlet does its own thing, with no system strategy
Stores run their own programs with inconsistent quality and messages; programs pushed down from above die at the counter because staff do not know about them.
The brand lacks clear positioning, so everyone understands it differently
Without a positioning statement and brand standards to refer to, every brief to the team and agency has to be explained from scratch, and the output misses expectations.
Campaigns run on gut feeling, with no crisis scenario
Campaigns start from ideas rather than business goals, and only after the budget is spent do you learn they did not work. F&B carries high crisis risk, yet no one has been assigned the spokesperson role.
Sitting on customer data without using it
The sales system has recorded the purchase history of thousands of customers but it has never been segmented; money still goes entirely into finding new customers.
No basis to assess and manage the agency
Reports contain only reach numbers, you do not know what to ask, when to change partners, or when the problem lies on the business side.
A strategy course: teaches directing and measuring, not hands-on execution
The Where to Play, What to Do, How to Measure framework, with 43 templates filled in using your own chain's real data.
The first two sessions set the strategic foundation, the middle five plan each area, and the last session settles the measurement mechanism and budget. By the end of the course you have all three layers, not just a few scattered tips.
The performance session teaches choosing objectives, allocating budget, reading reports and managing agencies, and does not go into setting up accounts and clicking buttons. This is the right role for a decision-maker.
Learners bring their chain's revenue, customer traffic, marketing cost structure and customer data into class. Each session produces one output template; the eight templates assemble into a marketing management file.
One axis for strategy and brand, one for execution and data. In the 25 to 35 minute workshop each session, both instructors visit each table to challenge learners' own chains directly.
Use AI to group praise and complaint themes from customer reviews, classify and draft replies, read ad reports, segment customers by purchase count and compile weekly reports, always with the principle of cross-checking against the source data.
Who is this course for?
3 decision-making groups in a chain, and who is not the right fit right now.
Chain owners and founders
Currently approving budgets and messages yourself but want to stop being the bottleneck and move to directing and controlling through mechanisms.
CEOs and operations directors
Responsible for business results across the system, and need to read marketing performance and connect marketing costs to the P&L.
Chain marketing directors and heads of department
Need a framework to plan properly, assign work to the in-house team and agencies, and present results in business language.
No marketing staff yet
The course assumes you have at least one in-house person or hire an agency. Without anyone to execute, most of the team management content will go unused.
Want to learn running ads, design and video editing
This is a strategy and management course. If you need hands-on execution skills, the Practical AI Marketing course is a better fit.
Cannot bring your chain's real data
The quality of the course depends on filling in templates with real data: 6 months of revenue and customer traffic by outlet, marketing cost structure, and customer data from the sales system.
Single-outlet model with no expansion plan
The content is designed for multi-outlet chains or businesses with one or two brands that are expanding; a smaller scale will find the system architecture excessive.
8-Session Roadmap: Where to Play, What to Do, How to Measure
Each session opens with a real problem, goes through the framework sections and ends with a template to take back and apply to your own chain.
Where to Play: Strategic Foundation
Sessions 1 & 2
Session 1
F&B Chain Marketing Mindset & Running the Marketing MachineRevenue formula · 3-layer structure · Cross-department coordination · BM-01 · 3 hours
- Marketing is not advertising; three specifics of F&B marketing: products consumed on site, limited catchment radius, and service staff as marketing touchpoints
- The TC × TA revenue formula and a four-scenario matrix to diagnose the health of each outlet, with a different set of solutions for each cell
- Five F&B marketing functions and the three-layer model: the owner sets direction, the marketing head coordinates, in-house and agencies execute; signs that the owner is doing the team's work
- Three cross-department handoff points: the new dish launch process with R&D (SOP-01), handing programs down to outlets (SOP-02), and two cash flows with finance
- Workshop: map your chain's current marketing operations and identify empty functions and bottlenecks
Session 2
Positioning & Chain Brand StrategyInsight · Positioning · 4-group menu · Brand standards · BM-07 · 3 hours
- Segmentation and insight: three free data sources including Google reviews, delivery app comments and customer-posted content; distinguishing what customers say from what they need
- A four-part positioning statement and five groups of differentiation levers (product, space, service, story, price and convenience), with the conditions for using each
- The four-group menu as a positioning tool: signature, routine, convenience, seasonal and the marketing role of each group
- A minimum five-item brand standard set for assigning work to the team and agencies; chain brand architecture: what is uniform across the system and what outlets can do freely
- AI touchpoint: load reviews of your chain and three competitors to find topics customers mention often that no brand serves well yet
What to Do: Marketing Planning
Sessions 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7
Session 3
Communication Plan & Crisis Handling12-month calendar · 8-step process · 24-hour crisis · BM-11 · 3 hours
- Distinguishing ongoing activities from campaigns; the 12-month Vietnamese F&B seasonal calendar and the hidden cost of running too many small campaigns
- An eight-step process for running an integrated campaign, starting from the business goal rather than the idea, the basis for setting goals for agencies
- Stop-point rule: after one third of the time, if leading indicators are below 40% of target, stop rather than spend the whole budget
- Four crisis levels and a five-step process for the first 24 hours; who may speak; three things never to do
- A decision tree for responding to reviews and four ready-made scripts for common situations
Session 4
Media & Content PlanGoal cascade · Content pillars · Owned, Earned, Paid · BM-16 · 3 hours
- Cascade from business goals to marketing goals, content goals and individual metrics; avoiding vanity metrics
- Five content pillars with ratios adjusted for F&B: a framework for owners to approve the team's plan by ratio instead of judging each post by feel
- Content calendar by day and hour; batch production so one shoot yields a month of content
- Owned and external channels: how to choose KOCs by radius and budget, a KOC brief framework, measuring real performance instead of counting views
- Visual standards, a four-step production process and a multi-level content approval process
Session 5
Performance Strategy & Advertising BudgetTwo purposes of running ads · Lead funnel · Agency management · BM-21 · 3 hours
- Two purposes of running ads: building awareness and capturing customer data; which metrics measure each and common measurement mistakes
- A paid channel map by model; food delivery apps as both a sales channel and an advertising channel, and the real per-order profit question
- A six-step Lead to Deal funnel for banquet, B2B and catering models; cost per lead versus cost per contract
- Reading agency reports: three places that are often obscured, a set of questions for when you receive a report, and when to change agencies
- Three ways to set the advertising budget and how to allocate it between awareness, customer acquisition and across outlets
Session 6
Local Store Marketing & POSMTrade Area · Outlet performance · POSM · BM-28 · 3 hours
- Why LSM is the cheapest channel and why it gets overlooked; the condition for effectiveness is consistency and execution discipline, not a large budget
- Trade Area and two radius rings; six customer source groups: residents, offices, schools, apartments, hospitals, industrial zones
- Re-applying the TC × TA framework to diagnose each outlet and identify each outlet's own problems and opportunities
- Permanent POSM and campaign POSM; what is uniform across the chain and what outlets can do freely; online to offline connection through QR codes and Google reviews
- The structure of an LSM Proposal, briefing store managers, photo-based acceptance and execution scoring tied to rewards
Session 7
Zalo OA, CRM & LoyaltyCustomer segmentation · Tiering · Program cost · BM-32 · 3 hours
- How to keep customers connected through TC and TA, the value of a customer over time, and the psychological reasons owners pour money into new customers
- Zalo OA for promotion and care: collecting followers, segmenting broadcasts, ZNS messages, and avoiding blocks over frequency and content
- Three indicators for segmenting customers (recency, frequency, value) and three segments that are enough: loyal, at risk of churn, one-time buyers
- Five loyalty program mechanics and the risks of each; the four numbers to calculate before launching
- CRM integrated into the POS versus a dedicated Mini App: when to use which, by chain size
How to Measure: Measurement & Optimization
Session 8: recommended 4 hours
Session 8
Marketing Management, Dashboard & MentoringAgency vetting · Meeting cadence · Annual budget · BM-40 & BM-43 · 4 hours
- A set of five vetting questions for agencies and freelancers, each testing one specific thing; the root cause of most ineffective outsourcing
- Weekly, monthly and quarterly operating cadence: what to review and decide at each; the rule that the owner approves only three types of work and delegates the rest to the marketing head
- The owner's seven metrics and how to build a dashboard from daily, weekly and monthly sales reports
- Three ways to set an activity budget, reference benchmarks by activity type, cost per new customer, and how to connect marketing cost to the P&L
- Wrap-up workshop: assemble the eight output templates into a marketing file and present a 90-day plan, with two instructors challenging and refining it on the spot
8 output templates assembled into a marketing file
Learners fill them in gradually through each session; Session 8 assembles them and each file is reviewed by the two instructors.
BM-01 Marketing Operations Map
A diagram of the chain's current marketing structure: who holds which function, which functions are vacant, and where the bottlenecks are.
BM-07 Brand Platform
A four-part positioning statement plus a minimum brand standards set, tools for assigning work and checking results with the team and agency.
BM-11 Campaign Brief
A one-page brief for an upcoming campaign, with a 12-month communications calendar and a crisis response script filled in with real information.
BM-16 Monthly Content Plan
A content plan allocated by content pillar with F&B industry standard ratios, plus a brief framework for the in-house team, agency and KOCs.
BM-21 Quarterly Ad Budget
A budget allocated by purpose and by outlet, with a worksheet for the real profit of delivery orders and a set of questions for managing agencies.
BM-28 Single-Outlet LSM Proposal
A trade area diagnosis, three priority activities, budget and owner for a specific outlet, plus an execution control checklist.
BM-32 Loyalty Tier Structure
A membership tier structure and a 30-day retention program, with a program cost worksheet and a set of customer care scripts.
BM-40 & BM-43 Annual Budget and 90-Day Plan
The annual marketing budget, a quarterly Increase, Maintain, Cut matrix, the owner's seven-metric table and a 90-day action plan challenged by a review panel.
Hands-on Learning Experience
Learners bring real chain data into class from Session 1.
Bring your chain's data into class from Session 1
Three things to prepare before the course starts: a 6-month revenue and customer count report for each outlet, the current marketing cost structure, and access to the POS system to extract customer data.
The first 20 minutes go to the previous session's assignment
Two instructors review directly on learners' templates, pointing out logical errors or insufficient data for decision-making.
Two instructors visit each table
Each session sets aside 25 to 35 minutes for learners to apply the framework to their own chain, with direct feedback for each person instead of one-way listening.
Use AI as an analysis assistant, not the decision maker
Grouping customer reviews, drafting responses, reading ad reports and segmenting customer data, always with a request to cite sources for cross-checking.
Session 8: present the 90-day plan
Each learner presents for 5 minutes, and two instructors challenge and refine the plan on the spot; classes are capped at 10 learners to leave enough time for each case.
Course instructors
Two instructors cover two axes: strategy and brand, and execution and data.
Tien Tien
Founder AAU Academy & PEACH Consulting
Leads the strategy and brand track: positioning, communications planning, performance strategy and the management session: dashboard, annual budget, and mentoring for the final course file.
Helen
F&B Chain Brand Manager
Has managed brands for large restaurant chains in Vietnam, with many years of implementing content plans, in-store marketing and CRM-loyalty for multi-branch systems. In the course, leads the execution and metrics track and walks the tables with the other instructor in each session's workshop.
Tuition and what's included
Complete marketing file
The eight output templates, filled in gradually over eight sessions, are assembled into a marketing management file for your own chain and reviewed in the final session.
43 templates and 6 SOPs delivered
All templates from BM-01 to BM-43 and six standard procedures with flowcharts, delivered in editable formats for internal rollout.
Classes are capped at 10 learners to keep customization for each case; Session 8 runs 4 hours for assembling the file and mentoring. Before Session 1, learners prepare: a 6-month revenue and customer count report for each outlet, the current marketing cost structure, and access to the POS system. If you are working with an agency, bring the latest report and the current service contract.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions before you register.
Does the course teach running ads and producing content?
The course stays at the strategy and management level: choosing objectives and channels, allocating budget, reading reports and managing agencies. It does not cover hands-on account operation or content production. If you need execution skills, the Practical AI Marketing Application course is a better fit.
What if my chain has no brand standards yet?
Session 2 is exactly where you build the positioning statement and the minimum brand standards. This is also a prerequisite for managing an agency effectively: most ineffective outsourcing stems from the business having no standards to check against and not knowing how to write a brief.
I am already hiring an agency. Should my marketing staff join the course?
Yes. The course is designed for decision makers, but having the marketing head attend shortens implementation time because both sides share one framework and the same set of templates.
What data do I need to prepare before the course starts?
A 6-month revenue and customer count report for each outlet, the current marketing cost structure, and access to the POS system to extract customer data for Session 7. The academic team sends extraction instructions before the course starts.
How many learners are in a class and what is the schedule?
The recommended maximum is 10 learners. Each session is 3 hours, except Session 8, which runs 4 hours because of the review and mentoring workload. The next course starts on 22/09/2026.
Is there further support after the course?
In Session 8, each learner presents a 90-day plan and receives direct feedback from two instructors; in larger classes, learners who do not get to present in class receive written feedback within 3 days.
When is the next intake?
The course starts on Tuesday 22/09/2026, with evening classes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 18:00 to 21:00 in Ho Chi Minh City, ending on 08/10/2026. The final session is for assembling the file and mentoring, so it runs longer than the others. See the full schedule on the Course Schedule page or call 0565 66 76 86.
Build a marketing strategy for your chain with AAU Academy
Leave your details and the AAU team will contact you for a free consultation within 24 hours and confirm the nearest intake schedule.
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