What kind of advertising and marketing efforts may All County administer?
All_County Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
ll respond to your questions regarding operational issues and provide support on an as-needed basis.
Advertising and Marketing. We may administer an Advertising Fund, using it to prepare and produce advertising, public relations, market research and promotional programs in media we select, potentially including print, radio, television, or internet, including the ALL COUNTY® website. This may be done in house or through outside vendors. The advertising and marketing efforts may be national, regional or local. There is no guarantee that these efforts will be effective in your geographic area or that any given advertising campaign will be run in your area.
- The Advertising Fund is funded by advertising and marketing fees paid by Franchisees. Currently, the monthly Advertising Fund Fee for all franchisees is the greater of 1% of Gross Revenue or $195 and all franchisees contribute at the same percentage rate. During our most recently concluded fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, of the collected Advertising Fund monies we spent, 26% was spent on website development services, 51.8% was spent on client retention, and 22.2% was spent on marketing and public relations.
We (or our affiliates) may, in our sole business judgment, contribute to the Advertising Fund. There is no obligation for us to contribute to this fund. The fees contributed by Franchisees are not in a "trust," and are not held by us in any fiduciary or similar special relationship. No relationship is created beyond an ordinary commercial relationship for our mutual economic benefit.
In any fiscal year, we may spend an amount greater or less than the contributions to the Advertising Fund for that year. We may carry over deficits or surpluses from year to year. We will separately account for the Advertising Fund and will provide an annual compiled statement of the Advertising Fund upon your written request. We are under no obligation to refund any unspent contributions when the Franchise Agreement is terminated or expires.
The Advertising Fund will not be used to defray any of our general operating expenses, except for such reasonable salaries, administrative costs, travel expenses and overhead as we may incur in activities related to the administration and activities of the Advertising Fund and its programs. The Advertising Fund is not audited, and there are no restrictions under the terms of the Franchise Agreement that it must be audited at any time. (Franchise Agreement Articles 17.1. through 17.4.). The Advertising Fund will not be used to solicit the sale of franchises.
Source: Item 11 — Franchisor's Assistance, Advertising, Computer Systems, and Training (FDD pages 20–26)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to All County's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, All County may administer an Advertising Fund to prepare and produce advertising, public relations, market research, and promotional programs. These efforts can be conducted in-house or through outside vendors. The advertising may be national, regional, or local, and utilize media such as print, radio, television, or the internet, including the All County website. However, there is no guarantee that these efforts will be effective in a franchisee's specific geographic area or that any particular campaign will run in that area.
The Advertising Fund is supported by advertising and marketing fees paid by franchisees. Currently, the monthly Advertising Fund Fee is the greater of 1% of Gross Revenue or $195, with all franchisees contributing at the same percentage rate. For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, the collected Advertising Fund monies were allocated as follows: 26% for website development services, 51.8% for client retention, and 22.2% for marketing and public relations. All County is not obligated to refund any unspent contributions when the Franchise Agreement is terminated or expires.
In addition to contributing to the Advertising Fund, franchisees must spend a minimum of $3,000 initially for local advertising and promotion. On an ongoing basis, franchisees must spend at least $1,500 each month for local advertising and promotion. All County will provide start-up marketing materials and templates, but there is no guarantee of success from these materials. Franchisees must submit all proposed advertising, promotional, and marketing materials to All County for approval, which will be granted or denied within 15 days of receipt. All County may also establish or approve local and/or regional advertising cooperatives, with membership being voluntary for both company-owned and franchisee-owned locations. The maximum contribution to an advertising cooperative is 1% of annual Gross Revenue.