December 22, 2017, Edition

We’re celebrating the Holidays the only way we know how—with The 8’s Christmas Game. You can play along by following the checklist throughout the video, or by checking out the official rules here.

1. Frantastic: Looking for a way to boost your brand’s Instagram followers? 1851 has Frantastic news. There’s a new feature up on our main site that highlights nine ways for brands to expand their footprints, from getting creative with the link in their bio to the strategy behind posting at certain times. By following these expert tips, brands can engage even more consumers and prospective franchisees.

2. Franlebrity: This week’s Franlebrity is someone we all know and love—Santa. In the spirit of the holiday season, we’re asking whether Santa would be a naughty or nice franchisee. On the positive side, Santa is an expansion-minded entrepreneur who won’t take no for an answer. But it’s not all milk and cookies—Santa is a bit of an HR nightmare. To read the full article and see the final decision, head to 1851.

3. Frash Money: BoConcept has launched its new global flagship location in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. The Danish-founded global retail furniture franchise already has a network of nearly 300 retail locations across 60 countries, but this new location is designed to be the go-to place to discover the latest global design trends and the world’s most influential designers.

4. Frant of the Week: In the third installment of his month-long column, No Limit Agency* CEO Nick Powills asks, “Are leads really leads?” Prospects should be the desired outcome, given their value. But reaching those prospects doesn’t mean going after as many leads as possible. In theory, by spending more money on fewer leads, brands will find more prospects. If you double up on the money being spent per lead, more prospects will follow.

5. Franch Forward: Wild Birds Unlimited is Franching Forward with the help of its new omni-channel initiative designed to bridge the gap between the brand’s brick and mortar stores and its online shopping experience. Wild Birds Unlimited has created its own digital retail center, ultimately taking its store shelves and putting them online in a way that’s beneficial to both consumers and franchisees.

Right now, the brand is still testing the new omni-channel initiative. There are 13 stores that have been fully on-boarded so far, with plans to open the program up to all of its stores in early 2018.

7. Franspiration: “That’s the true spirit of Christmas: people being helped by people other than me.” – Jerry Seinfeld

8. Franemies vs. Frands: Facebook is making an effort to be a better Frand to its users, even if that means being a Frenemy to some brands. The social network is penalizing brands that require specific engagement from fans in their posts, with repeat offenders facing the largest decline in reach. The move is part of Facebook’s efforts to reduce spam on user news feeds.