How will Card My Yard conduct advertising through the Marketing Fund?
Card_My_Yard Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Presently, we anticipate that Fund advertising will be conducted primarily through search engine optimization, public relations and electronic or print media on a regional basis, and that the majority of our advertising will initially be developed in-house. We may use the Fund to directly place advertising in your local or regional market; however, we also intend to use the Fund to create and prepare marketing materials or advertising programs that will be provided to you so that you may directly place or implement such materials or programs in your local or regional market. Any amounts that you spend to place or implement advertising created by the Fund in your local or regional market will be credited towards your local advertising obligations.
We will not use your Fund contributions to defray any of our operating expenses, except for any reasonable salaries, administrative costs, travel expenses and overhead that we may incur in administering the Fund and its programs. We will prepare an annual statement of the Fund's operations and will make it available to you if you request it. Any amounts in the Fund that are not spent in the fiscal year in which they accrue will be applied toward advertising activities or our expenses incurred in administering the Fund and its programs in the following fiscal year. We are not required to have the Fund's statements audited.
We may terminate the Fund at any time on 30 days prior written notice to you. If we terminate the Fund, all unspent monies will be distributed to the contributors in proportion to their respective contributions during the preceding 12-month period. (Franchise Agreement, Section IX.C.)
The Fund has not yet been established, so no amounts were contributed to, or spent by, the Fund in the last fiscal year.
As of the date of this disclosure document, we do not have any advertising councils composed of franchisees, but we reserve the right to establish such an advertising council in the future.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 34–43)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Card My Yard's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the Marketing Fund, if established, will be used for various advertising and marketing activities. Card My Yard anticipates that advertising will be conducted primarily through search engine optimization, public relations, and electronic or print media on a regional basis. Initially, the majority of advertising will be developed in-house.
Card My Yard may use the Marketing Fund to directly place advertising in a franchisee's local or regional market. They also intend to use the Fund to create and prepare marketing materials or advertising programs that will be provided to franchisees for implementation in their local or regional market. Any amounts spent by the franchisee to place or implement advertising created by the Fund will be credited towards their local advertising obligations.
The funds can be used to cover the costs of producing video, audio, and written advertising materials, administering regional and multi-regional advertising programs, developing and maintaining an Internet website, and supporting public relations and market research. The Marketing Fund will be administered separately by Card My Yard or someone they designate and is not a trust or escrow account, meaning Card My Yard does not have fiduciary obligations with respect to the fund.
It's important to note that Card My Yard is not required to make expenditures for franchisees that are equivalent or proportionate to their contributions to the Fund or to ensure that any particular franchisee benefits directly or in proportion to its contributions. Except for website development and maintenance, the Fund is not used to solicit the sale of franchises. The Fund has not yet been established, so no amounts were contributed to, or spent by, the Fund in the last fiscal year.