Scaling Smarter: Key insights to modern franchise marketing

Franchise marketing presents unique challenges and opportunities in balancing brand consistency with local relevance, empowering business owners, and staying agile in an evolving consumer landscape. In a recent podcast episode, we explored these themes with Loane Avenell, Head of Marketing at Sharetea, who provided valuable perspectives shaped by her experience across agency and in-house roles. Whether you're B2C or B2B, Loane's insights into franchise marketing offers valuable lessons on scaling smarter and creating impactful marketing strategies.

Watch the full podcast episode here (or on popular podcast channels).

B2Bold Podcast: "Scaling Smarter: Key Insights to Modern Franchise Marketing"

Balancing Consistency and Flexibility

One of the most critical aspects of franchise marketing is ensuring brand consistency across independently owned locations. This goes beyond enforcing guidelines. Effective brands build frameworks that support franchisees while preserving core identity. Consistency comes from clarity, education, and strong operational alignment. "It’s about coaching and enabling franchisees, not just enforcing rules," says Avenell, reflecting a broader shift toward more collaborative brand management. 

Empowering Local Marketing

Franchisees bring invaluable local knowledge to the table, and smart franchisors are finding ways to harness this. From providing templated resources to offering one-on-one consulting, brands are increasingly focused on supporting franchisees with tools that allow them to tailor national strategies for local impact. “They know their local market better than anyone,” Avenell explains, a sentiment echoed by many in the industry who are prioritising regional flexibility.

Staying Ahead of Consumer Trends

With consumer expectations shifting rapidly, agility is essential. Many franchise brands are embracing delivery apps, experiential activations, and strategic partnerships to drive relevance. Sharetea’s recent collaboration with the Smurfs movie is one example of how franchise marketing can extend into cross-channel campaigns that create memorable customer experiences, something that is becoming an increasingly important inclusion in the franchise playbook.

Advice for the Next Generation of Marketers

Across the board, seasoned marketers stress the value of spending time on the front lines. Whether it’s in-store interactions, customer service, or local events, immersing yourself in the customer experience offers insights that no report can. “There’s nothing like being face-to-face with customers to really understand the brand,” says Avenell, a piece of advice many marketing leaders would agree with.

Franchise marketing is as much about people and processes as it is about brand and strategy. Success lies in striking the right balance between centralised control and local empowerment, while continuously adapting to market trends. These insights from Loane Avenell highlight the importance of collaboration, responsiveness, and a customer-first mindset in scaling franchise brands effectively.

Watch the full podcast episode here for all the details and insights into marketing for modern franchise ecosystems.

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About Stratcora

Stratcora partners with B2B companies to develop practical, results-focused marketing strategies that support complex sales cycles, ambitious growth plans, and the realities of today’s resource-constrained teams. We help our clients by leveraging the right mix of human expertise and digital tools to execute marketing programs that produce real results.