Can the Endless Summer Sweets Marketing Fund be used for national advertising?

According to Endless Summer Sweets' 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, the Marketing Fund can be used for marketing and advertising at the national level. Specifically, Endless Summer Sweets may establish a Marketing Fund to promote the System on a local, regional, national, and/or international level. The funds can be used for marketing, advertising, and public relations materials, programs, and campaigns at those various levels, including national.

This means that a portion of the franchisee's contribution to the Marketing Fund could be used for national advertising campaigns, which may or may not directly benefit the franchisee's specific location. Endless Summer Sweets has sole discretion over how the Marketing Fund is spent, and expenditures do not need to be proportionate to individual franchisee contributions or provide direct benefits to each franchisee.

This is a fairly standard practice in franchising, where marketing funds are often used for both local and national campaigns to build brand awareness and attract customers. However, franchisees should be aware that they may not have direct control over how their marketing contributions are spent and that the franchisor has the final say in these decisions.