In a franchise investment, the more a franchise candidate can relate a brand’s story to the one they have in their head, the more open they are to having conversations with franchisee recruiters, learning more and eventually making a decision to purchase. The biggest trend for 2014 and beyond is that simply bombarding franchise candidates with ad copy bullet points is a poor way to tap into this hidden desire to relate. Candidates make decisions in “story form” not in “bullet form.” Companies that most effectively articulate a detailed, interesting and helpful brand story will do better at increasing franchise candidate engagement and thus increase the number of franchisees they recruit.