Is there a mandatory advertising program for City Publications franchisees?
City_Publications Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
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- There is no advertising program for which you are required to make contributions. There is no advertising council composed of franchisees. We may elect at a future time to arrange cooperative advertising. You may elect with other franchisees to establish cooperative advertising for a select area encompassing your mutual territories. It is optional for the franchisees to participate in such a cooperative. If such a cooperative is established, we anticipate that each franchisee in the given area would automatically be a member, with one vote per franchise agreement. Any company or affiliate owned outlets would also be members and would be required to make the same contributions as the other members. Since there are no cooperatives at this point or ever in the past, we do not have a policy on an amount that franchisees would be required to contribute to the cooperative. We anticipate that the members would establish a governing board and would adopt governing documents that would be available for review by a prospective franchisee. (Section 11B)
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- We have established and maintain an Internet website at www.citypublication.com that provides information about the CITY PUBLICATIONS System and the services that you and we provide. We will establish a website for your Franchised Business with a link to our website. You are responsible for maintaining the website created for your Franchised Business. We may (but are not required to) include an interior page at our website about your Franchised Business. If we include information about your Franchised Business on our website, we may require you to prepare all or a portion of the page at your expense using our template. We review and approve all information you prepare prior to posting it. We retain the sole right to market on the Internet, including all use of websites, domain names, URL's linking, meta-tags, marketing, auction sites, e-commerce and co-branding arrangements. You may be required to provide content for our Internet marketing. You must follow our intranet and Internet usage rules, policies and requirements. We retain the sole right to use the Marks on the Internet, including on websites, as domain names, directory addresses, search terms, meta-tags, and in connection with linking, marketing, digital marketing, social
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 19–24)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to City Publications' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, there is no mandatory advertising program for franchisees. However, City Publications may choose to arrange cooperative advertising in the future. Franchisees can also elect to establish cooperative advertising with other franchisees in their area, but participation is optional. If a cooperative advertising program is established, each franchisee in the area would automatically become a member with one vote per franchise agreement. Any company or affiliate-owned outlets would also be members and required to contribute the same amount as other members.
Since there are currently no cooperative advertising programs, City Publications does not have a policy on the amount franchisees would be required to contribute. If a cooperative is established, the members would create a governing board and adopt governing documents that would be available for review by prospective franchisees.
City Publications maintains an internet website, and will establish a website for the franchisee's business with a link to the main website. Franchisees are responsible for maintaining their individual websites. City Publications retains the sole right to market on the Internet, including all use of websites, domain names, URLs, linking, meta-tags, marketing, auction sites, e-commerce, and co-branding arrangements. Franchisees may be required to provide content for City Publications' internet marketing and must follow their intranet and Internet usage rules, policies, and requirements.