The Art of Franchise Marketing

Brett Larimer is the Executive Director of Brand Development for Skyhawks Sports Academy, the nation's leading youth sports camp franchise. With 10 different sports offered and a line of STEM sports programs that combine physical activity with math and science, Skyhawks offers something for everyone and Brett leads the charge in developing and executing marketing strategies across their portfolio of services. In this episode of the Art of Franchise Marketing, Brett and Madeleine discuss how to overcome obstacles with safety, privacy concerns, brand compliance, and tailoring diversity/inclusion efforts to specific markets while marketing the Skyhawks brand, how she helps franchise owners localize their marketing while still incorporating national brand standards, and the digital tactics that work as they shifted their strategy away from die-hard sporty parents towards everyday parents. 

Authority Brands is the parent company for industry-leading home service brands offering everything from electrical repairs to pool cleaning and beyond, with over 1,900 locations. Chad Harrison, Franchise Development Representative, and Michael Hutchins, Franchise Development Manager, join the Art of Franchise Marketing to talk about how Authority Brands supports the growth of their current franchisees and open up new markets.

Pizza Hut is a household name in the fast food space with a 60-year tradition and over 6,000 units in the US alone. Our guest today is Jonathan Massey, the franchise development manager at Pizza Hut. Jonathan and our host Madeleine Park discuss the strategies and challenges of growing a franchise. Jonathan explains how they approach community building and their initiatives to increase the franchise community and customer base. Finally, the two discuss using technology and tools to provide an exceptional customer experience and how to be open to innovation while remaining true to your brand.

Kiddie Academy is focusing on building relationships with the community to grow their brand and build trust with their customers. Nicole Salla, Chief Marketing Officer of Kiddie Academy, gives a master class on digital marketing from consumer to frandev and dives into the importance of guiding and advising the franchisees for success. 

Zips Cleaners, formerly known as Zips Dry Cleaning, is currently going through the phases of a brand refresh and reinventing the Zips Cleaners brand. Brooks Walter, Director of Marketing at Zips Cleaners, dives into the different aspects of expanding a brand and services through a refresh while continuing to focus on their digital strategy and providing excellent customer service.

From the franchisees to the franchisor, Pet Wants is educating and providing exceptional customer service to pet owners and business owners alike. Emily Roberts, the VP of Marketing at Pet Wants, shares the Pet Wants model and how they use education, innovation, and exceptional customer service to stand out in a saturated market. 

Neighborly, the largest franchisor of home service brands, has built a strong community of different brands that deliver a premium service with a personal touch. Brian Woods, Group Vice President of Franchise Development, dives into how Neighborly is staying committed to growth through the brand development process from the top-down.

EOS Worldwide, the Entrepreneurial Operating System, is a set of practical and complete tools to give entrepreneurs what they want out of their business, focusing on the vision, health, and traction of a company. Mark O’Donnell, the Visionary and CEO of EOS Worldwide, talks about how EOS became a strong, pandemic-proof franchise system focusing on building a winning culture and growing the brand. 

The Lash Lounge, a beauty franchise, built its name by empowering women in local communities across the nation through business ownership and self-care. In this episode, Taylor Hulyksmith, Director of Marketing at The Lash Lounge, dives into the importance of what it means to be a successful franchisee and how The Lash Lounge has designed a culture that works in tandem with their digital marketing strategy.

A Place at Home, a senior home care franchise, is putting the why back into franchising. Josie Devault, Director of Marketing at A Place At Home, is laser focused on building value propositions within all of their verticals. Josie takes us through how her team is building-on-the-fly to ensure their franchise and marketing strategies are adapted to the post-pandemic digital world.