Abstract

This study, based on theoretical and practical understanding of franchising, aims to conceptualize franchising in terms of marketing mix and proposes new paradigm of franchising. New schema of the franchise marketing mix involves both customer gap and franchisee gap by including customer and franchisee contacts and sets activities that include components of franchise system as the factor of marketing mix. So we could suggest the franchise marketing mix, '4F' by introducing conventional marketing mix concept into this assumption. The 4F schema consist of four sub-dimensions: 'Format', 'Fee & Royalty', 'Franchising Process', and 'Franchise Communication', which correspond to '4P'. In perspective of marketing mix, we could divide the franchise system into primary activity and support activity, then we also could categorize the fundamental activity into four-classification system, 4F schema. We expect that franchise marketing mix, 4F can be useful both theoretically and practically as it not only is not too different from the conventional marketing mix, but it also proposes franchise value chain by including unique characteristics and contents of the franchise system.