Top 25 Franchise Marketing Leaders: David Daniels — Chief Marketing Officer, Potbelly Sandwich Works

Name: David Daniels
Role: Chief Marketing Officer
Brand: Potbelly Sandwich Works
Brand Website: https://www.potbelly.com

As chief marketing officer at Potbelly Sandwich Works, David Daniels is blending big-brand strategy with community-driven execution to fuel growth for one of the most beloved sandwich franchises in the country. With a franchise system spanning across the United States, Daniels focuses on building a consistent brand voice while empowering franchisees to localize their marketing efforts.

“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to build one, unified brand voice for Potbelly, while also empowering local franchisees to market their shops in ways that resonate with their own communities,” said Daniels. “That local ownership drives engagement, loyalty and, ultimately, positive business performance at the national level.”

With a strong emphasis on digital marketing and data analytics, Daniels and his team equip franchisees with the tools they need to increase traffic, optimize promotions and build local brand awareness — all while staying true to Potbelly’s signature charm.

Q&A With David Daniels, CMO, Potbelly Sandwich Works

1851 Franchise: What do you love most about franchise marketing?

David Daniels: It’s exciting to have the opportunity to build one, unified brand voice for Potbelly, while also empowering local franchisees to market their shops in ways that resonate with their own communities. Potbelly is proud to support all of our franchisees with robust regional marketing support. We see that this approach allows us to have consistency across our system, while also empowering our partners to build authentic connections with customers in their own shops. It creates a sense of ownership locally that drives engagement, loyalty and, ultimately, positive business performance at the national level.

1851: What’s the single most important thing franchise marketers can do to improve unit-level economics?

Daniels: Our primary focus is on executing marketing strategies that are based on data and resonate with local audiences to grow traffic and sales. At Potbelly, our digital business is an important part of this approach. For example, we’re able to reach our customers and share news, such as new or limited-time menu items or timely promotions, that then drive spend at our local shops. Simultaneously, we offer marketing tools and materials to our local franchisees, which allows them to optimize branding in a way that best fits the shop they operate.

1851: What do you see as franchise brands’ largest marketing opportunity today?

Daniels: There is ample opportunity to hyper-localize marketing by leveraging digital capabilities. We see Potbelly customers responding positively to personalized, targeted alerts and messages, and our plan is to continue leaning into data and analytics to further refine this approach. We also see an opportunity to continue leveraging guest-created content in a way that fosters deeper connections and engagement with our biggest fans, while also growing brand awareness and reaching new audiences.

1851: What marketing trends are you watching closely for 2025?

Daniels: Personalization, content creation and engagement on social media, continued growth in video, flavor exploration and customization, generative AI-powered marketing and enhanced focus on incremental return on ad spend.

1851: What is one bold prediction you have for what’s next in marketing?

Daniels: I think we’ll see hyper-personalization really take off — powered by big data — and we’ll continue to refine how we measure performance through deeper investments in marketing mix modelling, attribution and experimentation.

Growing and selling franchises is difficult. No great franchise did it alone. Want to learn more about how 1851 helps franchisors grow their franchises with confidence? Visit www.1851growthclub.com and see what we can do for you.