Sequel Brands' Nate Chang on Building Culturally Resonant Wellness Franchises

Nate Chang, Chief Marketing Officer at Sequel Brands, brings nearly two decades of franchise marketing expertise to the table, focusing on health and wellness brands. His career, spanning from food service to fitness, highlights a passion for scaling brands and enhancing consumer movement. Chang's leadership in rebranding YogaSix propelled it to become the largest yoga franchise globally, showcasing his ability to grow early-stage concepts into national leaders.

At Sequel Brands, Chang emphasizes the importance of building individual brand identities while maintaining a cohesive vision under the Sequel umbrella. This approach allows each brand to stand out with its unique identity and purpose, yet benefit from the operational unity and scale of the portfolio. The strategy is not about uniformity but alignment, enabling each brand to deliver a differentiated experience to its specific audience.

In a crowded wellness market, Chang outlines how Sequel Brands supports franchisees in differentiating themselves locally. By providing ready-to-deploy content, location-specific paid media, and community-driven storytelling strategies, franchisees can build relevance within their local wellness culture. This local execution, combined with the brand's authority, is key to standing out.

For multi-unit owners, Sequel Brands offers cross-brand marketing opportunities, such as shared marketing efforts and bundled offers, enhancing the value of owning multiple concepts within the portfolio. Chang also highlights the comprehensive support provided to franchisees, from brand-approved creative to strategic guidance, ensuring they can focus on running their businesses effectively.

Chang distinguishes between marketing for franchise development and consumer acquisition, noting the importance of relationship-building in franchise sales versus the transactional nature of consumer marketing. He also discusses the evolving channels for franchise lead generation, emphasizing strategic partnerships and thought leadership over traditional paid media.

Technology plays a crucial role in managing the franchise sales pipeline and attributing marketing efforts, with centralized sales infrastructure enabling real-time performance monitoring and decision-making. Chang stresses the balance between brand consistency and local relevance, ensuring franchisees can adapt to shifting consumer preferences while maintaining the brand's integrity.

Sequel Brands, under Chang's marketing leadership, is redefining the fitness franchise model by fostering culturally resonant brands that cater to the modern consumer's needs for movement, recovery, and longevity. For more information, visit https://sequelbrands.com.