Marketing Is the Secret Weapon of Franchising - So Why Does Everyone Hate It?

Originally discussed on From A to Franchisee with Michelle Rowan

Everyone hates marketing in franchising.

Franchisees think the brand fund is a black hole. Franchisors think franchisees don't follow the program. And somewhere in the middle, the actual secret weapon of the model gets ignored.

Here's what no one admits: even when you hate your marketing, it's giving you an advantage over every independent business in your market.

When franchising works, marketing is a big reason why. You're not building brand awareness from scratch. You're pooling dollars with a collective that goes further than anything you could do alone. You're buying into something people already recognize. And you're learning from operators who've already tested what works - in markets that probably look a lot like yours.

No solo operator gets that.

I recently joined Michelle Rowan on From A to Franchisee to talk about five questions every franchise candidate should ask about marketing before they sign anything. But before we got to the questions, we started somewhere more foundational: why marketing is the most underappreciated advantage in the franchise model - and why it still manages to make everyone so mad.

Why Marketing Feels Like a Black Hole

Marketing is momentum. It's not the thing that works tomorrow because you spent money today. It's ten things working together over time - and when the momentum hits, you can't point to just one of them. That's what makes it maddening for a small business owner who is investing real dollars and waiting for the results.

The other frustration is the gap between what franchisees expect corporate marketing to do and what it's actually designed to deliver. At its best, corporate marketing plays two roles - and neither one is rescuing an individual location.

The first is support: making execution easier for franchisees through a clear campaign calendar, ready-to-use assets, and coaching on what's working across the system.

The second is brand building: investing in long-term awareness, protecting the brand's value so that when you're ready to sell in year ten, your unit is worth something.

When franchisees understand this framing, a lot of the resentment dissolves. Your brand fund dollars aren't disappearing - they're protecting the investment you've already made.

5 Questions to Ask Before You Buy In

These aren't gotcha questions. They're designed to give you a clear picture of the marketing philosophy you're walking into - so you're not surprised five years down the road.

1. How is the brand fund allocated, and what does that get me?

This is public information - it's in the FDD. But asking how they think about the brand fund is where you learn something real.

What you're listening for: are they investing in things that will make this brand worth owning in ten years? And are they investing in things that make your local marketing spend go further - like covering the platform fee for email so your local dollars can go to media instead?

If the answer is vague, or sounds like they're spending reactively based on the loudest voice in the room, that tells you something important.

2. What are your most successful franchisees doing for marketing?

This seems simple. It's not.

What you want to hear is specificity. Not "they follow the program." Real detail - this operator sponsors the big race in their town every year. This one is out tabling every week. This one leans hard into a specific product mix that outperforms the system average.

If they can rattle that off, you know two things: they're paying attention to their franchisees, and there's a playbook you'll be able to follow.

3. What's working right now, and how do you know?

You're listening for two things here. First, that they actually know what's working. Second, that they can explain why - which means they're measuring it.

The best answer sounds like collaboration: we heard from franchisees, we looked at the competitive landscape, we tested it, and here's what the data showed. That tells you they're not just launching and moving on.

4. What has changed in your marketing strategy in the last 12 months, and why?

You want to hear that they're learning and adjusting. Not "everything's working great" - because that means they're not paying close enough attention.

What you're really listening for is whether they're thinking about their marketing strategy the way a growing business should: with an eye on what's changing, what isn't landing, and what they're willing to retool.

5. How does a franchisee give feedback on marketing - and does it actually get acted on?

This is the most important question on the list.

You're not looking for them to say yes, everything gets acted on - because that would mean they're running without a strategy. You want to hear that there's a mechanism: a Marketing Advisory Council, an open door policy, a structured process for vetting field feedback.

And you want to hear that when feedback gets acted on, it's because it made sense for the entire system - not just one vocal operator. That's the sign of a marketing leader who is a steward of the brand, not just a order-taker.

The Foundational Investment That Doesn't Get Enough Credit

One more thing worth saying plainly: the local marketing spend requirement in your franchise agreement is a floor, not a ceiling.

In the first two years of business, you should be investing 15–20% of revenue in marketing. Years three through five, closer to 8–10%. Thinking you can grow on a 4% total investment - between your brand fund contribution and your local spend - is misplaced.

The franchisees who build real momentum aren't just following the minimum. They're becoming known, liked, and trusted in their market - through community presence, consistency, and showing up long before the customer is ready to buy.

That's what the brand fund is protecting. That's what your local investment is building.

And that's why, even on the days you hate marketing, it's still working for you.

Katherine LeBlanc is a franchise marketing consultant and fractional CMO with 20 years of marketing experience, 13 of them inside franchising. She works with franchise brands to build marketing strategies that drive franchisee engagement and long-term growth. Learn more at apollocmo.com or connect on LinkedIn.