The Marketing Department vs. Support Office – a story of double standards in many franchise organizations
Explores the friction between head office marketing and local execution, highlighting common double standards in expectations versus support.
The Great Disconnect
Picture this: Your marketing team spends weeks crafting the perfect campaign. Beautiful visuals, compelling copy, strategic timing. They hit "send" on that email blast to all franchisees and... nothing happens.
Or worse—half the locations execute it wrong, a quarter ignore it completely, and the rest complain they never received the information.
The Double Standard Problem
Here's where it gets interesting. When marketing departments communicate with end consumers, they use:
Segmented audiences
Personalized messaging
Multiple touchpoints
Clear calls to action
Performance tracking
A/B testing
But when the same department communicates with franchisees—their most important "customers"—they send:
Generic mass emails
PDF attachments
No follow-up
No tracking
No personalization
Why the double standard?
Franchisees Are Your First Customer
The truth is, your franchisees should be treated with the same care and precision as your end consumers. They're the ones executing your brand promise every single day.
When you blast out campaign materials without consideration for:
Role-based relevance (managers vs. frontline staff)
Location-specific timing
Confirmation of receipt
Clear implementation instructions
...you're setting everyone up for failure.
The Fix
Treat internal communication like marketing:
Segment your audience - Not everyone needs every message
Track engagement - Know who's read what
Personalize delivery - Role and location matter
Create accountability - Require acknowledgment
Measure execution - Follow up on implementation
When you give franchisees the same communication experience you give customers, execution improves dramatically.
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