Franchise marketing agency enhances strategic planning capabilities to address AI-driven marketing landscape

DALLAS, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Franchise marketing agency Thunderly today announced the addition of marketing and creative veteran Carlos Cortinas as chief strategy officer.

The newly-created position will help Thunderly clients strengthen their strategic marketing foundation as brand visibility becomes increasingly critical in a zero-click world.

The addition of Cortinas reflects Thunderly's continued evolution as a premier franchise marketing agency, strengthening its ability to help franchise brands grow their brands across both traditional and AI-powered platforms while furthering its mission to help more people realize the American Dream through franchising.

Cortinas joins Thunderly after leading creative strategy for several advertising agencies over the past 15 years where he created impactful campaigns for numerous high profile global brands.

"Strategy has always been at the forefront of everything we do," said Thunderly co-founder and CEO Scott White. "The addition of Carlos and his years of expertise allows us to provide an additional strategic layer that will enable brands to align every aspect of their marketing communications into a cohesive, structured strategy that is critical in today's rapidly evolving marketing landscape."

Recognized as a leading franchise development marketing agency and one of the fastest-growing private companies in the country, Thunderly recently introduced its proprietary Thunderly AIM Model© (Amplified Integrated Marketing), developed in direct response to the rise of AI-generated search and large language models (LLMs). The AIM Model is designed to help brands maintain control of their messaging through a highly adaptable approach to marketing.

"Franchise brands don't need more channels," said Cortinas. "They need a clearer point of view running through all of them. My goal is to help brands ready to grow faster sharpen that point of view in a highly strategic way." 

More information about Thunderly and its proprietary AIM Model is available at www.thunderlymarketing.com.

About Thunderly

Recently named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies for the second year in a row and annually included in Entrepreneur Magazine's listing of Top Franchise Suppliers, Thunderly is a full-service franchise marketing agency built to amplify and grow franchises and other dynamic brands.

Founded in 1999, Thunderly brings decades of expertise in franchise development under one roof, including: lead generation, website design, video production, public relations, social media, thought leadership, influencer campaigns, digital advertising, graphic design, crisis communication, personal branding, podcast production and more.

Known for its proprietary AIM Model© (Amplified Integrated Marketing), Thunderly enables brands to align every aspect of marketing communications into a cohesive, structured strategy for visibility in a zero-click world across both traditional and AI-powered platforms.

More information is available at www.thunderlymarketing.com.

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SOURCE Thunderly Marketing