Franchise Spotlight with Katherine LeBlanc

Katherine LeBlanc
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Conversations with the leaders who are actually building franchising - from the executive suite to the field. Each season explores what success looks like right now, what franchise leaders should be paying attention to, and how the best brands are delivering real returns for their franchisees. Because at the end of the day, franchisee profitability isn't just a metric; it's the whole point. Your host, Katherine LeBlanc, brings 13 years inside franchise systems, having led marketing across six brands spanning food, wellness, beauty, and experience. She's been in the room where these decisions get made. These conversations reflect that: direct, practitioner-level, and built for franchise leaders who don't have time for surface-level takes.

  1. 1d ago

    Why AI May Be Your Secret Weapon in Franchise Development

    Doug DeLor of Spherion Staffing and Recruiting and Patrick Conley of Fran Focus join Katherine to map out where AI belongs in the franchise development funnel heading into 2027 — and where it should never go. The one thing to walk away with: the funnel is splitting into AI-owned and human-only territory, and franchisors who haven't drawn that line yet are already behind. In this episode: The Franchise Development funnel stage both guests would hand entirely to AI — and the one they'd never touchWhy AI search summaries are pulling click traffic away from franchise websitesHow a 30-70% website traffic decline got reversed through video and AEO strategyWhy most franchise nurture sequences treat every candidate the same — and why that has to stopThe case against relying on email as a primary Franchise Development communication channelGuest: Doug DeLor, VP of Marketing, Spherion Staffing and Recruiting Over 30 years in franchising, including time at McDonald's launching McCafe before moving into global brand transformation work. Doug's team went all-in on video four years ago, well before AI search made it essential — a move that reversed a major traffic decline and improved lead quality significantly. Guest: Patrick Conley, Founder, Fran Focus 25 years in the franchise industry, with a decade-plus focused on Franchise Development marketing. Formerly generated roughly 100,000 leads a year for The Entrepreneur's Source's coaching network. Now runs a boutique agency serving emerging and regional franchisors. Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMO Want to go deeper? 🌐 apollocmo.com ▶️ @My Podcast Host on YouTube 🔗 linkedin.com/in/katherineleblanc 📩 katherine@apollocmo.com

    Why AI May Be Your Secret Weapon in Franchise Development

  2. Sep 28

    What's Working in Franchise Development Marketing Right Now

    Ziebart's Chief Growth Officer Larisa Walega and Franchise Assembly co-founder Liane Caruso join Katherine LeBlanc for a direct conversation about what's actually working in franchise development marketing right now. From portals to PR to GEO, this episode covers the channel decisions and budget tradeoffs that franchise marketers need heading into the next planning cycle. You'll walk away with a clearer framework for where to put your Franchise Development dollars and why. In this episode: Why contact rate, not cost per lead, is the metric that should be driving your portal decisionsHow Ziebart funds PR outside restricted ad fund dollars and what 17 years of that investment producesThe Meta targeting shift that displaced Ziebart's website as their top Franchise Development lead sourceWhy GEO scores are replacing Google search spend in forward-looking Franchise Development strategiesBrokers: what it actually takes to make them work and where brands are leaving money on the tableThe resourcing gap in Franchise Development marketing and why consumer teams can't fill itGuest: Larisa Walega, CFE, Chief Growth Officer, ZiebartLarisa has spent 17 years at Ziebart, starting as a field marketing manager and growing into a role that now spans marketing, franchise development, data and analytics, and annual business planning. She thinks in compounding investments and long-view brand strategy — which makes her take on what's working in 2026 Franchise Development worth paying close attention to. Guest: Liane Caruso, co-Founder, Franchise Assembly and Fractional CMOLiane advises brands from emerging to 100-plus locations on marketing process, brand standards, and budget strategy. She also co-founded Franchise Assembly, which runs Mastermind programs for franchise CMOs and Franchise Development leaders. The cross-brand visibility she carries into this conversation sets her observations apart. Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMO Want to go deeper? 🌐 apollocmo.com ▶️ @MyPodcastHost on YouTube 🔗 linkedin.com/in/katherineleblanc 📩 katherine@apollocmo.com

    What's Working in Franchise Development Marketing Right Now

  3. Sep 21

    The Marketing Calendar Moves You Aren't Making Yet

    Brandon Rhoten has been in restaurant marketing for nearly twenty years — CMO at Papa John's, CMO at Potbelly, and the architect of the digital program that put Wendy's back on the cultural map. In this episode, he and Katherine get into the product launch process that most franchise brands are too impatient to build, why cultural relevance is a point of view before it's a tactic, and why franchisees don't care how many impressions your last post got. In this episode: The filtering, ops testing, and market testing process behind a real product launchWhy the product launch calendar has to be built a year in advance — and how to sell that discipline to a C suite that wants to move fastHow Dave's Hot Chicken connects to culture without chasing itBuilding a marketing calendar for brands that don't have constant product newsWhat franchisees actually want to hear from marketing — and it isn't impressionsGuest: Brandon Rhoten, CMO, Dave's Hot Chicken Brandon has spent nearly twenty years in restaurant marketing. He built the digital and social program at Wendy's, served as CMO at Papa John's and Potbelly, and now leads marketing at one of the most culturally visible brands in fast casual. He owns restaurants himself, which means he brings both the brand-side and the franchisee-side lens to this conversation. Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMO Want to go deeper? 🌐 apollocmo.com ▶️ KatherineLeBlanc_Franchise on YouTube 🔗 linkedin.com/in/katherineleblanc 📩 katherine@apollocmo.com

    The Marketing Calendar Moves You Aren't Making Yet

  4. Sep 14

    AI in 2027: What Franchise Marketers Need to Stop, Start, and Fix

    Kim Gouch (Retro Fitness) and Will Fraker (The Good Feed Store) join the conversation to talk about what AI is actually doing inside franchise marketing right now — not the buzzword version, but the real decisions their teams are making around creative, websites, data, and channel strategy heading into 2027. If you leave this episode with one thing, it's this: AI is already rewriting the customer journey before your prospects ever land on your website, and most franchise marketers aren't watching. In this episode: How AI is disrupting the customer journey before customers reach your website — and what to do about itThe "go slow to go fast" discipline-first approach to AI adoptionWhere AI belongs in creative production and where it absolutely doesn'tHow to prioritize channels for the AI era — email, paid, website, and beyondWhat franchise marketers need to stop doing with AI right nowGuest: Kim Gouch, Chief Brand Officer, Retro FitnessKim has spent 30+ years in franchising across hotel, hospitality, restaurants, and fitness — including time on both the franchisor and franchisee sides. As the first-ever Chief Brand Officer at Retro Fitness, she's building the AI strategy for a high-value, low-price fitness brand with e-commerce at its core. Her brand-first perspective on guardrails and authenticity is one of the clearest frameworks in this conversation. Guest: Will Fraker, VP of Brand and Performance, The Good Feed StoreWill has been in franchising for over a decade across home services, retail, and specialty. At the Good Feed Store — a 300+ location brand — he oversees brand and performance marketing while also supporting a much smaller early-stage stretch brand. That contrast gives him a uniquely practical lens on what AI looks like at scale versus what it looks like when you're a team of one. Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMO Want to go deeper? 🌐 apollocmo.com ▶️ @My Podcast Host on YouTube 🔗 linkedin.com/in/katherineleblanc 📩 katherine@apollocmo.com

    AI in 2027: What Franchise Marketers Need to Stop, Start, and Fix

  5. Sep 7

    What's Broken in Local Store Marketing (and How to Fix It Before 2027)

    Local store marketing is one of the most talked-about and least-solved challenges in franchising — and Laura Peever and Marci Kleinsasser are two people who've actually done the work. This episode covers what breaks down between the playbook and the franchisee, how to build activation that compounds, and why the most underrated growth lever isn't a media tactic at all. In this episode: Why the playbook-handoff model fails and what to replace it withSetting franchisee expectations from day one — including in the franchise development processAlternative metrics for community-based marketing that can't show direct attributionThe Budget Blinds daily tip model and what makes it workCustomer experience as a local marketing engine: why your hire and training standards are a marketing decisionGuest: Laura Peever, Head of Marketing, Sportball Laura has spent her career across agency and client roles spanning retail, pharma, research, and brand strategy — and brings a generalist's lens to a franchise-specific challenge. At Sportball, a children's enrichment brand with 35-plus locations across four countries, she's building local activation systems that work from Brooklyn to Singapore. Guest: Marci Kleinsasser, CFE, VP of Marketing, Voxie Marci has 30-plus years in franchise marketing, starting on the agency side and leading franchisee marketing, brand fund strategy, and franchise development marketing for brands across restaurant, retail, and service categories. She now leads marketing at Voxie, a text marketing platform purpose-built for franchise and multi-location brands — and brings that full arc of experience to this conversation. Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Franchise Marketing and Growth Advisor | Apollo CMO Want to go deeper? 🌐 apollocmo.com ▶️ @MyPodcastHost on YouTube 🔗 linkedin.com/in/katherineleblanc 📩 katherine@apollocmo.com

    What's Broken in Local Store Marketing (and How to Fix It Before 2027)

  6. Aug 31

    What's Changing in Franchise Media Spend

    Google and Meta efficiencies keep declining, and most franchise marketers don't have a real plan for what fills the gap. Chris McGee (Batteries Plus) and Karen Wenning (Suttle Strauss) join Katherine to debate connected mail, cable TV, and the channels worth testing before the 2027 budget cycle locks in. In this episode: Why blanket direct mail without strategy is the channel both guests agreed should go firstHow connected mail programs deliver three to five touches before a mail piece even arrivesThe difference between a return on investment and a return on relationshipWhy Batteries Plus moved from store-level to market-level media poolingWhat "spray and pray" looks like in 2027 — and why both guests say it has to stopGuest: Chris McGee, VP of Marketing, Batteries PlusChris has spent over 20 years across agency, analytics, and client-side marketing roles, with a career-long focus on brand storytelling. At Batteries Plus, he's led the shift from fragmented local media buying to a market-pooled, data-backed strategy that grew reach by 25% this year. Guest: Karen Wenning, Director of Client Partnerships, Suttle StraussKaren has worked in franchise marketing for over 20 years, specializing in connected mail programs that combine direct mail with digital retargeting. She brings a rare vendor-side view of what local activation actually looks like across hundreds of franchisee relationships. Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMO Want to go deeper? 🌐 apollocmo.com ▶️ Katherine LeBlanc on YouTube 🔗 linkedin.com/in/katherineleblanc 📩 katherine@apollocmo.com

    What's Changing in Franchise Media Spend

  7. Aug 24

    The Digital Media Reframe for Franchising in 2027

    Digital media costs are up, attribution is murkier, and the default answer — more search, more paid social — isn't working the way it used to. Alex Preddie from Rocket Barn and Christy Johnson (CMO) and Madison Belfour (Director of Marketing) from Tint World sit down to get specific about what franchise marketers should actually be doing differently heading into 2027 budget planning. The one thing every listener will walk away with: a cleaner framework for how to allocate budget to customer moments instead of channel percentages. In this episode: The right question to ask when performance looks like it's declining (it might not be)Why first-party data is now a survival strategy, not a nice-to-haveAI-generated creative and what franchisee engagement data actually says about itHow to activate franchisees as local content creators without losing brand governanceWhere franchise systems are over-investing their digital dollars right nowGuest: Alex Preddie, VP of Sales and Marketing, Rocket BarnSeven years at a franchise-focused growth agency specializing in home services and automotive brands. Alex works directly with franchisees and franchisors on local marketing strategy, and has a front-row seat to what's working and what's bleeding budget across multiple franchise systems simultaneously. Guest: Christy Johnson and Madison Belfour, CMO and Director of Marketing, Tint WorldChristy brings decades of franchise marketing experience across major brands including Papa John's and Yum Brands, now six weeks into the CMO seat at Tint World. Madison has spent five and a half years running franchisee marketing operations at Tint World from the inside. Together they offer both the strategic view and the operational reality of what it actually takes to manage digital media across a franchise network. Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMO Want to go deeper? 🌐 apollocmo.com ▶️ @MyPodcastHost on YouTube 🔗 linkedin.com/in/katherineleblanc 📩 katherine@apollocmo.com

    The Digital Media Reframe for Franchising in 2027

  8. Aug 17

    The Franchise Marketer's Guide to Signal Over Noise

    Aren Johnstone (Franchise Ramp) and Dan Wheeler (CMO, K9 Resorts) join Katherine for a direct conversation about what franchise marketers are actually measuring and whether it's doing anything useful. This episode centers on the gap between data collection and decision-making — and what it takes to close it inside a real franchise system. In this episode: Why "if it doesn't drive a decision, you don't need it" is the right test for your scorecardCash flowable CAC: a franchisee-friendly framework for understanding marketing payback that goes beyond ROASThe tornado vs. the funnel: how rethinking the customer journey changes what you measureBuilding one source of truth: what it really takes, and why consistent imperfection beats perfect paralysisWhy single-platform dependence is one of the biggest risks in franchise marketing right nowGuest: Aren Johnstone, CEO, Franchise RampAren leads a paid media and creative agency built specifically for franchise brands and franchisees — two of his partners are franchisees themselves. Franchise Ramp works with over 1,300 locations across 25+ brands, and Aren has spent seven years building the internal systems and tech stack to aggregate performance data across hundreds of disparate ad accounts. He knows the franchise data problem from the inside. Guest: Dan Wheeler, CMO, K9 Resorts Luxury Pet HotelDan came to pet care from a career in restaurant and hospitality franchising, and he's bringing the same rigor to K9 Resorts — a brand with 50 open locations and 150 in development. He's currently overseeing the build of a first-party data platform that ties reservation data, franchise-level P&L, and media performance into one place. His frameworks on franchisee communication and demand creation are the kind of thing you don't hear enough at franchise marketing conferences. Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMO Are you a franchise brand leader working on a growth challenge?Katherine works with franchise brands as a Fractional CMO.  Want to go deeper? 🌐 apollocmo.com ▶️ @MyPodcastHost on YouTube 🔗 linkedin.com/in/katherineleblanc 📩 katherine@apollocmo.com

    The Franchise Marketer's Guide to Signal Over Noise
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Conversations with the leaders who are actually building franchising - from the executive suite to the field. Each season explores what success looks like right now, what franchise leaders should be paying attention to, and how the best brands are delivering real returns for their franchisees. Because at the end of the day, franchisee profitability isn't just a metric; it's the whole point. Your host, Katherine LeBlanc, brings 13 years inside franchise systems, having led marketing across six brands spanning food, wellness, beauty, and experience. She's been in the room where these decisions get made. These conversations reflect that: direct, practitioner-level, and built for franchise leaders who don't have time for surface-level takes.

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