---
title: "Top Franchise Marketing Leaders: Lindsey McFadden, CMO of Stretch Zone"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/a7378b55-1a76-450a-9247-c005b88ba716
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/top-franchise-marketing-leaders-lindsey-mcfadden-chief-marketing-officer-stretch-zone-2731771
category: "Recovery"
industry: "Fitness"
segment: "Recovery"
topics: ["Marketing","People"]
published: 2026-03-29T15:10:02.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T20:29:18.396Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/fb7872cd067c10a697d392aa2f1730532418.jpg
---

# Top Franchise Marketing Leaders: Lindsey McFadden, CMO of Stretch Zone

**TL;DR:** Lindsey McFadden, CMO of Stretch Zone, emphasizes the importance of unit-level economics in franchise marketing and predicts that 2026 will be about creating genuine connections with customers. She believes that loyalty driven through meaningful customer engagement will be paramount in the future of franchising.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2026-03-29. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/top-franchise-marketing-leaders-lindsey-mcfadden-chief-marketing-officer-stretch-zone-2731771).*

## Story

Lindsey McFadden is a marketing pro known for her ability to turn franchise complexity into clarity. For the franchise industry as a whole, she views marketing as inseparable from unit-level economics. She believes the future of franchising lies in deep consumer loyalty built through genuine connection, not just digital impressions.

**Lindsey McFadden:** What I love most about franchise marketing is that it’s a puzzle you’re constantly trying to solve. Different markets bring different challenges, and having different owners with different backgrounds adds another layer of complexity. Trying to deliver consistent services no matter what the variable is a forever moving target.

Being able to provide tools, systems, processes and campaigns that are meaningful across those various elements always keeps me on my toes.

**1851: What is the single most important thing franchise marketing pros can do to impact franchisees’ unit-level economics?**

**McFadden:** Marketing should always be focused on unit-level economics. So often, marketing is viewed only as a cost, but every initiative should have an expected outcome — an ROI tied to it.

It’s really important that a corporate team supporting franchisees can paint that picture and explain why an initiative or tactic is meaningful to them at the unit level.

**McFadden:** One of the biggest opportunities is creating a product or service that is consistent, so no matter where a consumer engages with your brand, they know exactly what to expect.

Being able to do that while still allowing for local customization — the local flair that resonates in a specific market—that’s where the magic happens.

**McFadden:** Everyone is talking about AI and how people are integrating agents into various businesses, but what I see for 2026 is a real focus on connection.

With major global events like the World Cup and the Winter Olympics, there is a heightened cultural appetite for coming together. Brands are constantly searching for ways to create that kind of connection with customers. To me, 2026 is all about connection.

**McFadden:** My prediction is tied to loyalty. Consumers have more options at their fingertips than ever before. On a go-forward basis, loyalty driven through meaningful customer engagement is going to be paramount.

The digital ad space is increasingly noisy — people’s feeds are flooded with information. If your brand can stand out in all of that, and consistently build loyalty through real engagement, that’s what will truly matter.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Fitness (sector)
- franchise marketing (topic)
- digital marketing (topic)
- customer loyalty (topic)
- Stretch Zone (company)
- unit level economics (topic)
- Lindsey McFadden (person)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/top-franchise-marketing-leaders-lindsey-mcfadden-chief-marketing-officer-stretch-zone-2731771). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/a7378b55-1a76-450a-9247-c005b88ba716).