Franchise Whispering

What does it take to turn a 25-year-old legacy brand into a Gen Z favorite?

In this episode of The Franchise Whispering Podcast, Bob McKay sits down with Kevin Keith, a veteran CMO whose pedigree spans legendary agencies (JWT, Ogilvy) and iconic franchise brands (Orange Theory Fitness, Edible). Kevin shares why he’s stepped away from the corporate C-suite to become a "Simon Cowell style" consultant—delivering the blunt, direct truths that brands need to hear to survive in 2025.

We dive deep into the "re-enrichment" of Edible, the shift from being data-driven to insight-driven, and how AI is finally making "turnkey marketing" a reality for local franchisees.

Key highlights from this episode include:

• The Courage Barometer: Why some brands want to reinvent themselves but lack the "stomach" to actually do what’s required.
• Insights > Data: Kevin’s blunt take on why we are "drowning in data but starving for insights."
• The Rise of "Treat Culture": How Edible tapped into Gen Z’s mindset of rewarding themselves to drive self-consumption sales.
• The Hybrid Media Model: Why Chipotle and other leaders are winning by fusing TikTok influencers with traditional TV ads.
• AI Agents for Franchisees: How Kevin helped build an AI agent that maps global playbooks to local stores, removing the marketing burden from the "Zee."
• Personalization vs. Creepiness: Why the next golden age of creativity belongs to those who can master hyper-relevant, personalized storytelling.

About Our Guest: Kevin Keith is a seasoned marketing executive with over 30 years of experience. He previously served as Chief Brand Officer at Orange Theory Fitness and CMO at Edible. He is currently an independent consultant and adjunct lecturer at Emory University, helping brands navigate the intersection of human behavior and emerging tech.

Timestamps for your Show Notes:

• 00:00 – Meet the "Simon Cowell of CMOs"
• 03:52 – The Edible Journey: Rebranding a 25-year-old icon
• 05:55 – Do you have a "Courage Barometer"?
• 08:26 – Building Marketing Capability vs. just Campaigns
• 11:15 – Orange Theory’s "More Life" platform: Turning a brand into a rallying cry
• 15:08 – Why Kevin is "Insight-Driven," not just Data-Driven
• 19:53 – "Treat Culture" & How Gen Z searches differently (TikTok vs. Google)
• 24:19 – AI Search & Hallucinations: Garbage In, Garbage Out
• 29:47 – Final Advice for Zors & Zees: Make it Easy to Win

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [[email protected]].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

Franchise marketing is a team sport, and today we’re joined by two of the MVP players in the Mathnasium system. Derek and Jillian Pipkorn are multi-unit franchisees in the Milwaukee area who have mastered the art of "taking it personally" to ensure every family in their territory knows they exist.

In this episode, Bob McKay explores the unique partnership between Derek (an educator) and Jillian (a marketing strategist) and how they’ve turned a math learning center into a community powerhouse.

Key highlights from this episode include:

• The Two-Pronged Sale: How to address the "tears at the kitchen table" for parents while building a "wow factor" that makes kids actually want to show up.
• The Claw Machine Innovation: How a franchisee-driven idea became a viral rewards tool across their six locations.
• The Milwaukee Brewers Partnership: The story behind "Math Day" at the ballpark, an event that brings nearly 10,000 students and teachers together for math-based baseball curriculum.
• Breaking Into Schools: Practical advice on how to turn an "absolutely not" from a principal into a thriving "Math Night" partnership.
• Regional Collaboration: Why working with "competitor" franchisees in your DMA can lead to massive branding wins (like the Milwaukee County Zoo sponsorship).

About Our Guests: Derek and Jillian Pipkorn own and operate six Mathnasium centers in Wisconsin. With a blend of education expertise and corporate marketing strategy, they have become leaders in the Mathnasium network for their creative community activations and regional marketing efforts.

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [[email protected]].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

In this episode of The Franchise Whispering Podcast, host Bob McKay sits down with Heather Anderson, Head of Marketing for Safe Splash Swim Schools (part of the Youth Enrichment Brands portfolio).

Heather shares her unique journey from growing up in the world of creative agencies to leading marketing and operations in the franchise space. We dive deep into how Safe Splash is moving beyond "digital-only" marketing to revitalize grassroots community connections and why every marketing idea must pass the "Tuesday at 3:00 PM" operational reality check.

Key highlights from this episode include:

• The Bridge Between Marketing & Operations: Why Heather believes marketing leaders need "operational muscles" to ensure brand promises can actually be executed at the local level.
• The Safer Swimmer Promise: A look at Safe Splash’s first-of-its-kind program that guarantees 10 essential self-rescue skills for students, moving from "risk" to "reward" for parents.
• The Four C’s of Progress: How to categorize the customer journey through Comfort, Capable, Confident, and Competitive stages.
• Celebrating Success: Why signing the "Starfish Wall" and ringing the bell creates the emotional stickiness that drives long-term retention.
• Humanizing the Brand: Leveraging the incredible stories of franchisees—including Olympians—to build local trust.

About Our Guest: Heather Anderson is a seasoned franchise executive with extensive experience at The Little Gym and now Youth Enrichment Brands. She specializes in purpose-driven growth and building family-first marketing strategies that scale.

Connect with Franchise Marketing News:

• Website: https://franchisemarketingnews.com/
• Mission: To elevate the conversation of franchise marketing through innovation, impact, and intelligence.

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [[email protected]].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

In this episode of the Franchise Whispering Podcast, host Bob McKay sits down with Madeleine Zook, co-founder of Catalyst and a USA Today "Top 10 CMO to Watch." Madeleine brings a rare perspective to the table—acting as a multi-unit franchisee, a franchisor, and a high-level advisor.

She breaks down the blueprint for how emerging brands can behave like industry giants by building a "shiftable" foundation that scales from unit one to unit 10,000.

What You’ll Learn:

• Building a Nimble Infrastructure: Why your marketing foundation must be designed to flex and shift as you grow.
• The Accountability Funnel: A step-by-step framework to stop the "blame game" between franchisors and agencies. Madeleine explains how to identify if your problem is budget, creative, technical, or operational.
• Moving the Middle: Why focusing on your bottom-tier performers is a losing game, and how shifting your "third quartile" into the second can exponentially boost your system’s ROI.
• The Rise of "Answer Engines": How AI tools like Gemini and ChatGPT are changing search behavior, and why Google Reviews are now your most critical SEO asset.
• The "Devil’s Calculator": A reality check on what it actually costs to hit your revenue goals through local marketing.

Key Highlights:

Timestamps & Topics:

• [02:12] Creating a "shiftable" foundation for emerging brands.
• [04:49] The 3 Pillars: Website/SEO, Paid Digital, and Local Empowerment.
• [09:05] The 4-step analysis for media performance and accountability.
• [18:43] Why you should focus on your middle-performing franchisees.
• [24:26] The "Marketing Loop": From organic social to Google reviews.
• [43:27] A leadership lesson on the "heart" of franchising.

About Our Guest:

Madeleine Zook is a powerhouse in the franchise space. As the co-founder of Catalyst, she specializes in fractional CMO services and strategic advisory for brands looking to professionalize their marketing stacks. She is a frequent speaker at IFA events and is widely recognized for her "giving back" mentality within the franchise community.

Connect with Us:

• Franchise Marketing News: [Link]
• Follow Madeleine Zook on LinkedIn: [Link]

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [[email protected]].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

In this episode of the Franchise Whispering Podcast, host Bob McKay sits down with Greg George, a dynamic figure in the franchise world with over 100 locations under his belt. Greg shares his journey from humble beginnings to becoming a leader in the dessert franchise industry, highlighting the importance of authenticity and innovation. Discover how Greg's unique approach to franchising, his passion for diverse product offerings, and his commitment to local marketing have set his brands apart in a saturated market. Tune in to learn valuable insights on maintaining brand presence and the power of storytelling in business.

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [[email protected]].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

In this conversation, Kristen discusses the transformative role of marketing in today's business landscape. She emphasizes that marketing is no longer just about traditional advertising but has evolved into a critical function that drives business innovation through consumer insights and data. Kristen argues that marketers are uniquely positioned to understand consumer demand and should lead the charge in shaping business strategies.

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [[email protected]].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

In this inaugural episode of the Franchise Whispering podcast, host Bob McKay interviews Guy Coffey, a seasoned expert in the franchise industry. They discuss Guy's journey from international relations to becoming a successful franchisee and franchisor in the fitness and beauty sectors. The conversation explores the evolution of marketing in franchising, the impact of COVID-19 on the fitness industry, and emerging trends in health and wellness. Guy shares insights on franchisee selection, the importance of community engagement, and the significance of personal branding in marketing. The episode concludes with a lightning round of quick insights and recommendations for aspiring franchisees and entrepreneurs.

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [[email protected]].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.