Who benefits from the Red Wagon Club Brand Fund contributions?
Red_Wagon_Club Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
your other required marketing expenditures.
Brand Fund
We do not currently maintain, nor are we obligated to maintain, a systemwide advertising fund. However, we may elect to establish a Brand Fund to promote the awareness of the Red Wagon Club brand (the "Brand") and RWC Businesses generally. If we establish the Brand Fund, your contribution will be in amounts we periodically specify and will be payable in the same manner as the Program Fee; however, if we establish the Brand Fund, we have the right, at any time and on notice to you, to change the amount you must contribute to the Brand Fund, but we cannot increase the amount you must contribute to the Brand
Fund by more than 10% in any calendar year after we establish the Brand Fund. We anticipate that, if we establish the Brand Fund, your initial Brand Fund contribution would be $500 per month.
If we establish the Brand Fund, we or our affiliates or other designees will direct all programs that are funded by contributions to the Brand Fund, with sole control over the creative concepts, materials, and endorsements used and their geographic, market, and media placement and allocation. We may use contributions to the Brand Fund to pay for preparing and producing materials and electronic or digital media in any form or format that we periodically designate, including but not limited to: administrating online advertising strategies, including developing and maintaining a System Website and mobile apps; administering regional and multi-regional marketing and advertising programs; implementing gift and loyalty programs; and supporting public relations, market research, product development, and other advertising, promotional, social media, creation and publishing of books and other marketing materials; and marketing activities. In our discretion, we may sell you, at reasonable prices, copies of certain materials funded by contributions to the Brand Fund.
We are not required to segregate Brand Fund contributions from our other funds, but we will account for contributions to the Brand Fund separately from our other funds and not use the Brand Fund contributions for any of our general operating expenses. However, we may use contributions to the Brand Fund to reimburse us or our affiliates or designees for the reasonable salaries and benefits of personnel who manage and administer or work on the Brand Fund's activities, the Brand Fund's other administrative costs, travel expenses of personnel while they are on Brand Fund business, meeting costs, overhead relating to Brand Fund business, and other expenses that we incur in activities reasonably related to administering or directing the Brand Fund and its programs. While references to the availability of franchises may appear in marketing materials, the Brand Fund will not be used primarily to sell franchises.
Contributions to the Brand Fund will not be our asset, but we do not assume or owe any fiduciary obligation to you in respect of those contributions or for administering the Brand Fund or any other reason. We will hold all Brand Fund contributions for the benefit of the contributors. We may spend in any fiscal year on Brand Fund activities more or less than the total Brand Fund contributions in that year, borrow from us or others (paying reasonable interest) to cover deficits, or invest any surplus for future use. We may use all interest earned on the Brand Fund contributions to pay costs before using the Brand Fund's other assets.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 24–31)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
According to the 2024 Red Wagon Club FDD, if a Brand Fund is established, the contributions are intended to promote awareness of the Red Wagon Club brand and RWC Businesses generally. The FDD indicates that Red Wagon Club or its affiliates will direct programs funded by the Brand Fund, exercising sole control over creative concepts, materials, endorsements, and their placement.
The Brand Fund contributions can be used for various marketing and advertising activities, including online advertising, website and app maintenance, regional marketing programs, loyalty programs, public relations, market research, product development, social media, and the creation of marketing materials. Red Wagon Club may also sell copies of certain materials funded by the Brand Fund to franchisees at reasonable prices.
While Red Wagon Club is not obligated to ensure that expenditures are proportionate to contributions from specific geographic areas or that individual RWC Businesses benefit directly in proportion to their contributions, the Brand Fund is intended to benefit the overall Red Wagon Club system. The FDD also states that Red Wagon Club will hold all Brand Fund contributions for the benefit of the contributors.