What Franchise Elevator PR does

Franchise Elevator PR is a Deerfield, Illinois-based integrated marketing agency founded in 2013 that serves emerging and established franchise brands. The firm operates as part of the Fishman PR family of agencies, with senior leadership including Brad Fishman (CEO), Sherri Fishman (Founder & CVO), Zack Fishman (Partner & President), Cody O'Hara (EVP), and Debra Vilchis (CGO). Its stated mission is to serve 'scrappy' franchise brands — those with limited marketing budgets, no in-house marketing team, or prior bad agency experiences — with big-agency credibility at a smaller-agency cost structure.

Name

Franchise Elevator PR

Legal name

Franchise Elevator

Website

https://franchiseelevator.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Franchise Elevator PR is a boutique Deerfield, Illinois-based integrated marketing agency founded in 2013 that delivers PR, content, influencer, paid media, and crisis communications services to emerging and established U.S. franchise brands as part of the Fishman PR family of agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Relations & Marketing Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer & Lifestyle PR (MPAAADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event PR & Communications Support (BPAFADAO), Influencer PR & Seeding (Gifting/Press Kits) (MPAAAHAG)

Keywords

• Franchise public relations
• Integrated marketing services
• Franchise development marketing
• Crisis communications agency
• Brand awareness campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Deerfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. PR and Marketing Services: Professional services revenue generated through integrated marketing campaigns including franchise opportunity awareness PR, consumer brand awareness PR, influencer relations, content marketing, broker content marketing, paid media management, local PR campaigns, and crisis communications. Services are delivered as ongoing retainer engagements or project-based work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Franchise Elevator PR is an integrated marketing agency that sells a portfolio of eight PR and marketing services designed specifically for franchise brands. Offerings span franchise opportunity awareness PR, consumer brand awareness PR, influencer relations, organic content marketing, broker content marketing, franchise development paid media, local PR campaigns, and crisis communications. Services are delivered by an in-house team as ongoing retainer engagements or project-based work, backed by the reputation and media relationships of the parent Fishman PR family of agencies.

Product overview

Franchise Elevator PR is an integrated marketing agency offering a suite of eight PR and marketing services designed specifically for franchise brands with unrealized potential. The service portfolio includes Franchise Opportunity Awareness PR and Consumer Brand Awareness PR as core public relations offerings; Influencer Relations for social media partnerships; Organic Content Marketing covering AI visibility management, LinkedIn, and email; Broker Content Marketing for franchisor-broker enablement; Frandev Paid Media for digital lead generation; Local PR Campaigns for franchise grand openings; and Crisis Communications for reputation protection. The agency operates as a unified service model rather than a software platform, with all offerings delivered by an in-house team backed by the Fishman PR family of agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Franchise Opportunity Awareness PR Strategic public relations focused on increasing visibility of franchise opportunities among potential franchisees through national business media, thought leadership, and franchisee success stories. Sold to franchisors seeking franchise development pipeline.
• Consumer Brand Awareness PR National and regional PR campaigns that place franchise brands in front of target consumers through compelling storytelling, creative campaign activations, and earned media coverage. Sold to franchisors seeking consumer-facing brand awareness.
• Influencer Relations Identification and connection of franchise brands with regional and national social media influencers across nano, micro, macro, and celebrity levels for authentic brand partnerships. Sold to franchisors seeking social-media-driven consumer reach.
• Organic Content Marketing Strategic storytelling through AI visibility management, LinkedIn strategies, and email marketing to enhance brand equity and move prospects through the sales funnel. Sold to franchisors seeking owned-media content programs.
• Broker Content Marketing Broker enablement strategies including tailored marketing collateral, targeted text and email campaigns, and ongoing education to accelerate franchise deal velocity. Sold to franchisors working with franchise-broker networks.
• Frandev Paid Media Data-driven franchise development digital marketing campaigns developed in tandem with trusted partners to bolster lead generation through earned, owned, and paid media strategies. Sold to franchisors seeking franchise development digital marketing.
• Local PR Campaigns Grand Opening PR packages for franchise locations generating earned TV segments, print and online feature stories to draw community attention and drive foot traffic. Sold to franchisors and franchisees opening new locations.
• Crisis Communications Proactive crisis management services including crisis playbooks, media training, and 24/7 support to protect brand reputation during high-stakes situations. Sold to franchisors facing or preparing for reputational crises.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10+ year client partnerships with major franchise brands
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fishman PRflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFranchise Elevator was intentionally founded by the same award-winning team behind Fishman PR. The company operates as part of the Fishman PR family of agencies, backed by the reputation, decades of expertise, and proven systems of the Fishman team. This affiliation provides big-agency credibility with a model designed for smaller, more agile franchise brands.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• M Booth: Independent creative PR and earned media agency with strong consumer practice. Comparable as an alternative for consumer brand awareness PR at franchise clients but operates at significantly greater scale and breadth than Franchise Elevator.
• Marketing Maven: Mid-sized full-service PR and marketing agency with franchise industry work. Comparable as an alternative vendor for brand awareness, influencer relations, and content marketing, though it serves a wider set of verticals beyond franchise.
• Walker Sands: Larger B2B PR and integrated marketing agency with a stated franchise practice. Comparable as it competes for similar franchise PR engagements but operates a broader portfolio and a deeper bench, giving it an advantage at the top of the franchise market.
• Edelman: Global communications firm with consumer marketing and crisis practices. Comparable at the high end of the franchise market for crisis communications and brand awareness work, but its breadth and scale put it in incumbent rather than direct-peer territory.
• 5W Public Relations: Larger consumer and lifestyle PR agency with national media reach. Comparable because it competes for consumer brand awareness and influencer PR work from franchise brands, though it serves a far broader client roster and is not franchise-specialized.

Direct peers

• 919 Marketing: PR, content marketing, and franchise development agency explicitly focused on franchisors and franchisees. Directly comparable because it sells integrated PR and franchise lead-generation services to similar enterprise franchise-brand buyers with comparable retainer/project pricing.
• Fishman PR: Flagship parent agency and fellow franchise PR specialist operating from the same team. Directly comparable because it serves overlapping franchise clients with similar PR, content, and crisis communication services, and is the primary provider of "big-agency credibility" backing Franchise Elevator.

Emerging players

• LocaliQ (USA Today Network / Gannett): Local digital marketing solutions provider actively courting franchise brands with bundled paid media, content, and local PR packages. Comparable because it targets the same franchise pipeline buyers through a more productized, technology-led offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Franchise Elevator PR