Write an agency brief that can be compared

Start with a business objective

Describe the customer group, location and action the campaign is intended to encourage. Identify franchisor approval requirements and any required local marketing activities. A request to increase awareness is too broad to explain what work an agency should prioritize.

Give providers the same brief and ask them to state assumptions. Separate creative production, media spending, management fees and ongoing services so that a bundled price does not conceal different scopes.

Keep accounts and assets clear

Ask who owns advertising accounts, creative files, landing pages and reporting data. Establish appropriate access using the platforms’ controls rather than sharing the owner’s credentials indiscriminately. Document what happens when the engagement ends.

Review claims, testimonials, images and data collection for appropriate approval and permission. An agency’s past campaign result is context about that project, not a forecast for your location. Ask how outcomes are defined and what the reporting can actually attribute.

Choose a review process

Agree who approves work, how revisions are handled and when performance will be assessed. Ask what would cause a change in spending or strategy. This guide offers procurement questions and does not rank or endorse providers. The best next step is a comparable proposal that makes responsibilities and costs visible.

Put it on paper

• Define the intended customer action.
• Separate fees, media and production.
• Document approvals, account ownership and reporting.

Continue with the franchise research checklist, our FDD guide, and the research directory.