Social Media as a New Front Door for Franchise Brands
In a digital-first world, where attention spans are fleeting and brand loyalty is hard-won, franchise brands are increasingly turning to social media not just as a marketing tool but as a foundational pillar of their growth strategy. By building trust through authority, expertise, and a strong brand voice, franchises are evolving beyond static ads and flashy promotions; they are creating personalities that resonate.
ZIPS Cleaners, a national garment care franchise with over 70 locations, is among the brands leading the charge. With the launch of its “Quick Tips from ZIPS” video series, the company didn’t just introduce another campaign; it introduced a character, a voice, and a personality. And that personality is Kathleen Razmus, also known as the “Clean Queen.”
Through humor-infused videos posted across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, ZIPS has turned garment care into edutainment; the result is more than 520,000 views and 150,000 engagements in just a few months. But even more importantly, it has positioned ZIPS as a brand with both substance and soul.
From Executive to Internet Personality: Meet the Clean Queen
If you scroll through ZIPS’ YouTube playlist, you’ll quickly meet Kathleen Razmus, a seasoned dry cleaning veteran with 25 years of experience owning her own business in Baltimore. Today, she serves as ZIPS Cleaners’ Director of Technology and IT Security, but she’s also the sparkling face of the “Quick Tips from ZIPS” series.
Her video presence is confident, humorous, and warm. Whether she’s “Translating Dry Cleaning for Gen Z” or “Busting Dry Cleaning Myths,” Razmus is the ultimate insider; she knows the science behind each service, but she delivers it in a way that feels like you’re chatting with a friend over coffee.
“I absolutely love sharing my experience with a bit of humor thrown in,” says Razmus. “We had a lot of fun making these videos and I love collaborating with the marketing team to make them funny and engaging.”
This kind of personality-led content isn’t just entertaining, it’s educational and brand-building. In industries like dry cleaning, where most customers may not understand the nuances behind garment care, having a trusted expert break down the details creates brand authority. It turns ZIPS from “just another dry cleaner” into a household name associated with knowledge and trust.
Building Authority and Recognition in a Fragmented Market
Social media has become more than just a place for photos and promotions. For franchise brands, it’s now a critical channel to establish thought leadership. The reason? Today’s consumers are increasingly skeptical. They seek transparency, real faces behind brands, and a reason to believe in a business.
By featuring Razmus in their campaign, ZIPS has essentially weaponized its internal expertise. Instead of hiring an actor or an influencer, they chose someone who has lived the franchise business from the inside out. Her career trajectory from owning her own dry-cleaning business to serving on ZIPS’ leadership team adds credibility that no paid endorsement could match.
According to Mary Ann Donaghy, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at ZIPS, “The professional garment industry has had challenges in recent years—between COVID, a shift to increased remote work, and changes in clothing fabrics, we recognize that some consumer education and inspiration is required to achieve our aggressive growth objectives.”
That’s why the Clean Queen campaign is more than branding; it’s become a tactical response to a changing market. It educates, builds trust, and brings in younger, digitally native demographics who might otherwise skip professional garment care altogether.
A Formula for Social Success: Humor, Expertise, and Consistency
Franchise brands often struggle to find their voice on social platforms. The pressure to be everything to everyone can dilute their message. But ZIPS Cleaners has found a sweet spot: humor plus helpfulness.
The “Quick Tips from ZIPS” series includes short, 60- to 90-second videos on relatable topics like “Dry Cleaning 101.” Filmed at Riggo Productions in Annapolis, Maryland, the series is scripted but flexible, allowing the Clean Queen to improvise and inject her own personality into each episode.
These videos aren’t just for show either. They’re cross-distributed across YouTube, Meta (including both Facebook and Instagram), and more recently, TikTok. They’ve also been embedded into customer emails and even used for internal training. One example is a recent video where the Clean Queen walked employees through the EZ Drop system, ZIPS’ 24/7 drop-off program.
This omnichannel strategy ensures that the campaign doesn’t live in a silo. It touches customers at various points—from discovery to loyalty—and also reinforces internal culture and standards.
What Franchises Can Learn from the Clean Queen Playbook
For franchise systems in any industry from food, fitness, pet care to home services the ZIPS strategy offers several powerful takeaways:
1. Let the Experts Be the Stars
Your internal experts hold the credibility your brand needs. Whether it’s a franchisee, founder, or operations leader, they bring a level of authenticity that influencers often can’t replicate.
2. Build Consistent, Bite-Sized Content
In the attention economy, short, frequent content performs best. ZIPS’ 60–90 second videos are snackable, shareable, and memorable.
3. Be Educational Without Being Boring
ZIPS doesn’t just say “we’re affordable.” They show you why professional garment care is worth it, in a tone that’s playful and modern.
4. Distribute Everywhere—Including Internally
Training videos, customer emails, social reels, they’re all part of the same flywheel. Don’t limit good content to just one platform.
5. Be Human
In an era of polished branding and high production, being real stands out. The Clean Queen laughs at herself, ad-libs, and sometimes even flubs a line … and audiences love it!
Looking Ahead: Personality as a Scalable Asset
ZIPS’ marketing team isn’t stopping with social videos. The Clean Queen is becoming a face of the brand across multiple touchpoints with the vision to be at local store openings, staff training, and potentially even national campaigns.
This evolving role speaks to a larger trend in franchising: the rise of branded personalities. Whether it’s a fictional mascot (shout out to Tavvy from Crust Pizza Co.) or a real-life executive, franchises are realizing that humans sell better than slogans. And the more consistent that human presence is across channels, the more recognizable the brand becomes.
Final Thoughts: Franchise Growth Through Face-Forward Content
ZIPS Cleaners has proven that you don’t need a massive budget to make a big impact. By tapping into in-house expertise, crafting relevant content, and leveraging humor and personality, the brand has turned a traditionally overlooked service (dry cleaning) into a compelling digital conversation.
Franchise brands across industries should take note: Authority, authenticity, and strategic social media storytelling are no longer optional. They’re the new currency for customer trust and long-term loyalty.
And in this case, all it took was a crown, a camera, and one very charismatic Clean Queen.
