CMO Q&A: Describe Your Marketing Team and the Role Each Plays

In each issue of Franchise Update magazine, we profile franchise CMOs and marketing leaders, asking each the same set of questions. Throughout the year, we’ll be selecting one of those questions and providing answers from those profiles. If you want to learn more about these franchise marketing leaders and their thoughts on other topics, we’ve provided links to their full profile where available.

This week we asked them to describe their marketing team and the role each person plays.

Michael Barrette, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, Dippin’ Dots & Doc Popcorn

I am blessed with a great marketing team. Dana Knudsen is the senior director of marketing responsible for both the Dippin’ Dots and Doc Popcorn brands and reports directly to me. On the Doc Popcorn side, we have a brand manager, based in Colorado, who also has a strong operational background with the brand both internationally and in the U.S. We do all our creative in-house, with a group of very talented designers, photographers, videographers, and content writers. We also manage our web and online presence with key players internally along with our agency partners. Read full profile.

Amy Przywara, Chief Marketing Officer, Sylvan Learning

We have a 13-person team and we divide up into three key areas: local marketing and franchisee support, digital-centric, and brand/consumer. But there is so much crossover these days. The team works together to make sure the content we create is digital-centric, and that local marketing needs are digital as well as offline. There has to be a collaborative, “no silos” approach.

Katherine LeBlanc, Chief Marketing Officer, Painting with a Twist

As a franchisor, we have a marketing team of 350! All of our franchisees are our marketers – they have to be to create a successful business model. Which means that we need to listen to their successes when developing the overarching brand plans, seek their counsel as we develop new tools and ideas for them to use in the field, and above all, support them in their efforts to deliver on our brand experience. Read full profile.

Michelle Spohnholz, Vice President of Marketing, Newk’s Eatery

Our Calendar Marketing Team leverages consumer insight and sales data to build initiatives and organizes cross-functional teams to implement these initiatives. Our Brand Communications Team has been building a new identity and is now infusing that in all our brand touchpoints: POP, website, social media, and email marketing. Our Field Marketing Team works with our franchisees and operating partners to develop local store marketing tools and develop localized advertising plans. Read full profile.