CMO Q & A – Doug Zarkin
Now, Zarkin is helping lead the marketing charge at Take 5 Oil Change, where his mission is to take the company from being“ functionally famous to emotionally unforgettable.” He approaches marketing with a blend of strategic clarity and human-centered insight. His process begins with listening to understand what guests truly want, identifying pain points, and uncovering unmet needs. From there, he sets priorities and executes with a mindset rooted in clarity, accountability, and flexibility.
It’ s necessary to craft a vision that endures through change, anchoring strategies in purpose over performance while staying curious and adaptable, says Zarkin. He measures success through business results, guest feedback, and brand perception, emphasizing that experience must consistently outweigh the price. That’ s why one of his goals is to move Take 5 out of the“ friend zone” by creating memorable, emotionally resonant moments that go beyond transactional loyalty.
As Zarkin says,“ KPIs like store traffic matter but so does how people feel after interacting with our brand.”
Describe your role as CMO. My role is to help Take 5 evolve from being functionally famous to emotionally unforgettable. I’ m here to connect the dots between guest experience, brand storytelling, and operational excellence because when those pieces line up, marketing stops being a department and starts being the growth engine of the business.
What’ s the most challenging part of being a CMO today? The toughest part is balancing scale with soul. Data, technology, and growth targets are all table stakes, but the real challenge is making sure every guest feels like they’ re the only guest. Relevance has to come with a human touch. Otherwise, you’ re just another logo shouting into the void.
How has Covid impacted the way you have led your brand’ s marketing efforts? Covid-19 reminded us that business is personal. At Pearle Vision, we doubled down on empathy and transparency, meeting people where they were, not where we wanted them to be. The lesson that carried forward for me is simple: Empathy isn’ t a tactic; it’ s a leadership principle.
What are the three most important keys to being an effective CMO leader today?
1. Craft a vision that holds steady when the winds shift.
2. Anchor strategy in purpose, not just performance.
3. Bring your notebook, not just your playbook, because curiosity and adaptability will take you further than certainty ever will.
How do you prepare a marketing plan and execute the strategies? It starts with listening. What do our guests want? What frustrates them? What’ s the unmet need no one else is serving? From there, we set clear priorities that serve both the business and the brand. Execution is about clarity, accountability, and agility. Talk often, measure everything, adjust without ego.
How do you measure marketing results and effectiveness? We look at a healthy mix of business performance, customer feedback, and brand perception. If the experience consistently outweighs the price— a principle I call the“ Brand Value Equation”— we’ re doing our job well.
Discuss your core consumer marketing strategies and objectives. Our objective is to move Take 5 out of the“ friend zone.” Familiar is fine, but unforgettable is how you win. That means creating moments that surprise and delight, investing in relevance over repetition, and building a brand that earns an emotional spot in people’ s lives.
How do you go about creating a customercentric marketing and brand philosophy? By“ thinking human” in every decision. I ask myself,“ If I were the guest, how would this feel?” Marketing isn’ t about campaigns; it’ s about trust. We earn that one guest, one transaction, one smile at a time.
Describe your marketing team and the role each of them plays. Our team is a blend of storytellers, strategists, and franchisee champions. What makes them special isn’ t just talent; it’ s mindset. They’ re empowered to challenge, elevate, and make the work sharper. We may sit in different chairs, but we row in the same direction.
Why is it so important for the marketing department to have a personal touch when it comes to helping the brand connect with franchise prospects? Because franchisees aren’ t just buying a business. They’ re buying into a belief system. It has to be obvious that this is more than a brand we advertise; it’ s a brand we live. That authenticity shows up in every interaction.
How does this help your franchise sales and development effort? When prospects see our values in action, they stop seeing themselves as operators and start seeing themselves as partners. That’ s the foundation of long-term success.
What ways / tools do you rely on to do this? We lean on a mix of transparency tools, dashboards, training modules, and onboarding systems as well as good old-fashioned face time. Technology scales, but personal connection seals the deal.
Do today’ s prospects expect more from the franchise marketing department? What, and how do you provide it? Absolutely. They expect transparency, tailored support, and a road map to profitability and purpose. We deliver by being accessible, building robust onboarding, and keeping the conversation two-way. It’ s not a broadcast but a dialogue.
How is today’ s consumer and marketing data helping you fine-tune your marketing initiatives? Data gives us patterns; our job is to find the people behind them. We use insights to refine messaging, timing, and media not just to reach more people, but to resonate more deeply.
Describe the evolving role of social media in your brand’ s marketing efforts. Social isn’ t just media anymore. It’ s where reputation is built in real time. We use it to educate, engage, and amplify our stay-in-your-car convenience. But we’ re also leaning into user-generated content because the most powerful voice for our brand is our guest’ s, not ours.
How do you work with other internal departments, and does technology help? Marketing doesn’ t work in isolation. We’ re joined at the hip with operations, IT, and customer service. Tech helps us align faster, share insights, and stay nimble. But the real unlock is cultural: We solve problems together, not in silos.
Which technology tools are most valuable to you and why? CRM and data visualization platforms are critical. They connect the dots between who we’ re reaching, how they’ re responding, and where we need to pivot. Without that, you’ re just guessing with a bigger budget.
How do you stay on top of changing technology? I always stay curious by reading, networking, and testing new tools through pilot programs before scaling. If something helps us serve and reach customers better, we adopt and adapt.
How do you manage costs and budgets for the marketing department? I approach marketing investment with the same discipline that applies to operations: Every dollar must have a purpose. We are focused on balancing national storytelling with local precision, ensuring that spend drives measurable impact on awareness and customer traffic. We use data to guide decisions, but creativity and cultural relevance remain at the core.
Do you see vendors as business partners? Why / why not? The best vendors aren’ t vendors at all. They’ re extensions of our team. If they challenge us, elevate the work, and share our ambition, then it’ s a true partnership. That’ s where the magic happens.
How have marketing strategies / tools changed over the past decade? How have you adapted? The shift has been from mass communication to personalized engagement. I’ ve leaned into both sides of the coin— the art and the science, data plus heart— to keep brands from getting stuck in the“ friend zone.”
How is your marketing / branding strategy developed, and how does it flow through the system? We start with clarity at the top— who we’ re for, why we matter— then cascade that down into national, field, and digital marketing. The flow is less waterfall, more flywheel: learn, apply, share, repeat.
What advice would you offer to aspiring CMO executives? Lead with heart and data. One without the other is half a strategy. Get out from behind your desk, keep a notebook in hand, and always“ think human.” And remember: Your customer’ s perspective is your North Star. Ignore it at your own risk. •
Issue 4, 2025 | Franchise Update | 25