Top Franchise Marketing Leaders: Dawn Drazdys — Chief Marketing Officer, Right at Home

Name: Dawn Drazdys
Role: Chief Marketing Officer
Brand: Right at Home*
1851 Newsroom

With more than 700 locations worldwide, Right at Home has become one of the most recognized names in in-home care, and much of that growth is fueled by a marketing approach rooted in empathy, alignment and innovation. Leading that effort is Chief Marketing Officer Dawn Drazdys, whose career journey from agency strategist to franchise marketing leader has been driven by purpose and impact.

After spending 25 years in advertising, Drazdys found herself inspired by the mission behind a home care franchise client — the seniors they served, the caregivers who supported them and the difference their work made every day. That connection led her to join Right at Home, where she now helps hundreds of local owners grow while advancing a brand dedicated to helping people live independently at home.

Q&A With Dawn Drazdys - Chief Marketing Officer, Right at Home

1851 Franchise: How did you find your way to franchising and franchise marketing?

Dawn Drazdys: I spent 25 years in the ad agency world, and one of my longtime clients was a home care franchise. That experience changed the direction of my career. I fell in love with the seniors we served and the caregivers who showed up for them every day. Their stories, their resilience and the purpose behind the work stayed with me. Over time, I realized I wasn’t just drawn to the brand, I was drawn to the impact.

Becoming the CMO at Right at Home gave me the unique opportunity to build a national brand while helping individual owners succeed in their local markets. Once I experienced how marketing can directly improve the lives of franchise owners, their teams, and the clients they serve, I was hooked.

1851: What makes franchise marketing uniquely challenging (and rewarding) compared to corporate-only marketing?

Drazdys: Franchise marketing requires you to think in two modes at all times: brand-level consistency and local-level customization. Corporate marketers typically focus on one audience and one set of priorities. In franchising, every decision has to balance national strategy with the realities and needs of hundreds of individual operators.

The challenge, and the reward, is alignment. When the brand and the franchisees are moving in sync, the impact is exponential. You’re not just building campaigns; you’re building confidence, systems, and a sense of shared purpose. Watching franchisees win because of something your team built is a uniquely powerful motivator.

1851: What is the single most powerful lever a marketing team can pull to directly impact franchisees’ profitability at the unit level?

Drazdys: Consistency in demand generation. The most impactful lever is building a predictable, measurable, always-on acquisition engine that aligns national and local demand generation. When marketing drives consistent weekly lead flow and awareness efforts are strong, profitability grows for the franchisees.

1851: What is an untapped marketing opportunity you see for franchise brands?

Drazdys: Most franchise brands are still heavily focused on top-of-funnel activity. Meanwhile, the real margin gains often sit in mid- and bottom-funnel efforts. Automated, behavior-triggered communication that is customized by service line, consumer persona and stage of need is still underutilized in franchising. Brands that lean into lifecycle marketing over the next two years will see major improvements in conversion, retention and lifetime value.

1851: What is one marketing fad or buzzword that you believe will actually deliver real results in the coming year?

Drazdys: While AI is attached to everything right now, I think its genuine value in franchising will come from practical personalization. Dynamic content, automated lead nurturing, smarter routing and predictive modeling will finally bridge the gap between national scale and local relevance. The brands that learn to use AI to enhance, not replace, human connection will gain a real competitive edge.

1851: What’s your boldest franchise marketing take? (A tactic used today that will be obsolete in the next five years? Something that almost no one is currently doing but will be revolutionary in the near future?)

Drazdys: The biggest shift coming is the convergence of CRM, automation and AI into a single intelligent engine that manages 80% of the consumer journey. The brands that adopt this early will double their conversion rates. This will also allow franchisees time to reinvest in community partnerships, local PR and operational excellence that are proven activities that move the needle.

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.