Parsons Previously Fostered the Company’s Growth as a Vendor Partner
United Franchise Group, a globally recognized leader in franchising with more than 1,800 franchisees worldwide, has appointed Christina Parsons chief intelligence officer. Parsons’ career experience includes serving as executive vice president of marketing and creative strategy at Marketing.com, following the acquisition of DAS Group, a digital marketing firm she founded. In that role, she collaborated closely with UFG and its franchise brands as a longtime agency partner.
“I started working with UFG in 2008 and have watched them add brands, expand shared services, strengthen their internal teams and develop marketing and technology platforms. They support a culture of change and innovation by listening to franchisees and business partners, and I’ve always appreciated that,” Parsons said. “UFG is the true embodiment of an entrepreneurial organization. They move quickly in a way most organizations of their size can’t and give brand leaders the flexibility they need to make their brands successful.”
Parsons said leveraging UFG’s extensive data pertaining to sales trends, marketing performance, franchise development metrics and local market insights drives smarter marketing decisions and enhances the tools and support available to UFG’s franchisees. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the types of tools, reporting and automation that can help inform decision-making. My years of working with franchisees and franchisors have given me a unique perspective on how to balance both, and on what our agency partners truly need from us to be successful,” she said.
Parsons aims to strengthen integrations across UFG’s brands, including point-of-sale systems, advertising platforms and other underutilized marketing channels. “The landscape is shifting fast, and we want to make sure we reach franchise prospects and consumers wherever they are researching our brands and opportunities. Long-term, our goal is to stay ahead by providing best-in-class marketing tools and campaigns for both UFG and our franchise owners.”
Ray Titus, founder and CEO of UFG, highlighted Parsons’ critical thinking and analytical expertise as key assets to the company’s brands and franchisees. “We worked with Christina as a vendor partner in the past and most recently brought her on to provide an in-depth analysis of our business. We’re now thrilled to officially welcome her to the UFG family on a permanent basis,” Titus said.
Driving Growth Through Marketing
Parsons said today’s marketing landscape is more complex than ever. “Attention is fragmented, privacy has raised the bar for measurement and AI is accelerating everything. Data isn’t just reporting anymore; it’s the operating system. It informs who we target, what we say, where we show up, what offers we lead with and how we sequence the journey across touchpoints.”
At the same time, she emphasized that the fundamentals — knowing your customer, clarifying your value proposition and communicating consistently — remain unchanged. “Tools and platforms will continue to evolve, but the principles of persuasion, differentiation and brand credibility do not.”
Marketing at UFG is about more than campaigns, she said. “Marketing will foster UFG’s growth by building durable brand equity while driving predictable demand. When brand, performance and enablement are aligned, growth becomes repeatable — and that’s when marketing truly becomes a growth multiplier for UFG.”
Parsons said she loves marketing because it “sits at the intersection of human behavior and measurable growth. You get to tell a story, solve real problems for real people and then prove it — using data to analyze what’s working and why. I’ve always been drawn to that blend of creativity and accountability.”
About United Franchise Group
UFG’s portfolio includes Signarama, Fully Promoted, Black Optix Tint, Transworld Business Advisors, Exit Factor, Accurate Franchising Inc, Franchise Real Estate and the Vast Coworking Group (Venture X, Office Evolution and Intelligent Office). UFG also owns food concepts under Big Flavor Brands, such as The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill and Graze Craze.
