Franchising isn’t slowing down, but how it grows is changing.
At the 2025 Franchise Leadership & Development Conference (FLDC), the message was clear: Economic uncertainty, inflation and tightening returns are rewriting the rules. It’s a critical moment for marketing leaders to reimagine their franchise marketing strategy — one that isn’t just reactive but resilient.
Unit ROIs are down. Sales are softening. Budgets are tighter. And yet, growth isn’t off the table; it’s just shifting. As McKinsey shared in the recent article “Growth amid uncertainty: Jump-starting B2B sales performance,” high-performing brands are achieving growth 200 to 300 basis points above the market, even amid volatility.
“When the landscape gets unpredictable, clarity and alignment matter more than ever,” says Dawn Kane, CEO of Hot Dish. “Franchise brands don’t just need strategy; they need systems that can flex and perform under pressure.”
This isn’t just about riding out a storm. It’s about leading through it.
The new reality: A shift in franchise marketing trends
FLDC made it clear: The franchise growth strategy that fueled expansion over the past decade is losing steam.
In 2020, unit growth hit 31.3%, according to The Outlook for Franchising session at FLDC. In 2024? Just 6.3%. And the pressures, from inflation to policy shifts, are still intensifying.
Waiting for “normal” won’t cut it. Franchise marketing during uncertainty can’t rely on the old playbook. Forward-thinking marketers are already recalibrating. They’re leaning into smarter systems, scalable frameworks and flexible activation. That’s where modern franchise marketing trends are headed: less about headcount, more about effectiveness.
When the pressure’s on, misalignment shows fast
Marketing can’t operate in isolation. When brand strategy, creative and field execution don’t sync, the results suffer and franchisees feel it first — especially in uncertain conditions.
The latest IFA franchisor survey shows a rise in concerns around poor sales, labor challenges and execution gaps. These aren’t ops issues alone. They’re also marketing issues.
That’s why leading brands are looking for more than templated support. They’re looking for a franchise marketing agency that can close the gap between brand vision and in-market performance.
A stronger franchise growth strategy starts with flexibility
In the past, “brand compliant” was enough. Now, brands need to be brand aligned from national campaigns to local action. The most effective marketers are scrapping the old playbooks and designing systems that flex fast from national campaigns to local needs. That means moving beyond surface-level tactics and building foundational strategies that scale. Creative, media and messaging should work together without requiring reinvention every time something changes.
At Hot Dish, we don’t just build campaigns. We build systems that protect the brand and empower the field, partnering with our clients to create systems that are scalable, assets that flex and strategies that respond quickly without losing focus. It’s not just smart strategy. It’s future-proofed performance.
Consistency creates confidence, especially during uncertainty
Franchise marketing during uncertainty should be a stabilizer, not a stressor. When marketing is built to perform under pressure, it gives franchisees confidence and keeps brand equity strong regardless of market conditions.
As Dawn put it: “Strategy backed by insight, not headlines, keeps internal and external stakeholders aligned.” In moments of economic or political pressure, consistent messaging becomes the anchor. It builds trust, protects the brand and gives franchisees something to stand behind. And, in a softening sales environment, stability drives growth through retention, better local execution and smarter campaigns. This is where clarity wins. And this is where your franchise marketing strategy during uncertainty becomes a competitive advantage.
It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing it better.
Retention outperforms acquisition in cost and impact. In a softening sales environment, the smartest move isn’t a louder campaign, it’s a smarter one. One that improves performance at the unit level. One that reinforces what’s already working.
That might look like a single-unit franchisee getting 20% more qualified leads — not through a bigger budget, but a better system.
This isn’t the time to push harder; it’s the time to market smarter. A good franchise growth strategy doesn’t just open new doors. It protects what’s already working.
That’s why the right franchise marketing agency matters more than ever. Not all partners are built for franchise. And not all agencies are built for this moment.
Hot Dish is both FranFocused™ + BrandFocused, with 25 years of experience helping brands grow with confidence, even when the market is in flux. We build more than campaigns. We build marketing systems that perform both nationally and locally, now and next.
Contact us to build a franchise marketing strategy that drives performance no matter what the market throws your way. Let’s move the brand forward. Together.
