Her stint on the production line was part of Franks' tenure at Unilever, where she worked on the home and personal care portfolio, including laundry detergents and deodorants. Her time at the company's aerosol factory in Leeds enabled her to learn about manufacturing, before being promoted to senior product manager for Sure and Impulse. In this role, Franks created deodorant brand Sure Sport for Men, which earned her a place in Marketing's Power 100: The Next Generation list in 2005. Franks quips: 'I used to hang out with football fans at games to understand what made them sweat during iconic sporting times.'
In 2006, Franks moved to her current role at the UK arm of Kao Corporation. The Japanese FMCG company, which has ambitious expansion plans, owns premium brands Molton Brown, John Frieda, Jergens and BiorŽ. Although Franks claims to have a 'real affinity' with the brands she oversees, her job is far from easy.
Kao Brands was established in the UK in 2002, when the 122-year-old Kao Corporation acquired John Frieda. However, Kao's reputation in the UK is very different from that it has in Japan. Highly respected in its domestic market, Kao operates in 27 countries across Asia and owns brands such as popular laundry detergent Attack and well-known Japanese cosmetic Kanebo.
Franks says, in time, she hopes to develop the same level of recognition in the UK. Although Kao already owns a host of market-leading brands in the UK, its corporate name remains relatively unknown. This means it has a lot to prove in the UK's FMCG market, which is dominated by behemoths such as Unilever, Procter & Gamble, and Reckitt Benckiser.
However, self-assured Franks argues that UK consumers' limited knowledge of the company has not affected the success of its brands. Kao Brands, she says, is in a unique position as it is a highly empowered local organisation. 'Although our UK operations are small, we are backed by a multinational organisation that spends more than £200m annually on research and development,' she adds.
Perhaps it is this powerful backing that gives Franks her confidence. She boldly states that, this month, John Frieda is the number-one haircare product in the UK, ahead of Pantene. 'We have proved that we can get consumers to buy our products even in a market where consumers are thinking very carefully about their spending,' she says. 'Everyone still wants to look good, even in a recession.'
Franks describes working on a premium brand as the 'torture test' of marketing. 'When you are in the mass premium environment, you have to make sure that every element of your marketing mix is working as hard as possible,' she says. 'You are asking consumers to spend, in many cases, twice as much for a product.'
In keeping with this, Franks recently launched a Go Blonder range as part of the John Frieda collection. She turned the brand from an idea into an on-shelf product in just nine months. Since its launch in March, it has become the best-selling product in the portfolio.
Since joining Kao Brands, 32-year-old Franks has worked hard to generate significant levels of brand loyalty. In an unusual step for a haircare brand, she launched a loyalty scheme, John Frieda Elite, which now has 40,000 members.
She hopes to double this figure over the coming year. 'At the moment, we can't always outspend our competitors,' says Franks. 'However, we can outthink them. Our competitors are spending two or three times as much as us on advertising, but we still hold significant market share.'
Another of Franks' success stories is skincare brand Jergens Naturals. Kao announced the UK roll-out of the US bodycare brand in March. It was supported by a £5m marketing drive, making it the UK's second-biggest bodycare advertiser. In 2008, market leader Dove spent just under £6m on advertising, according to Nielsen Media Research. The Jergens campaign will aim to position the range as a mass-market alternative to pricier natural products for 18- to 49-year-old women.
Franks recalls her first day at Kao Brands, when it was announced she was to start working on the launch of a skincare brand for the UK immediately. 'I wasn't aware of this challenge when I accepted the role,' she says. 'I knew I had to prove myself, as Kao Corporation is in the market only for successful launches.'
Franks picked Jergens from the company's US product portfolio. 'Kao has owned Jergens for some time,' adds Franks. 'It could have launched it in the UK market five years ago, but it was waiting for the right proposition. We will go when we are ready - and then we will go very quickly.'
With her choice of Jergens Naturals as the product to launch in the UK, Franks created a natural offering for consumers that was previously available only from prestige and expensive brands. For this reason, the brand has little competition. Franks happily divulges that it has already gained a 4.8% market share, just three months after its launch.
'This makes Jergens the number-eight brand in the UK market,' she says. 'In the long term, we want it to be a top-three brand, without question, as we are only in the market for delivering leading brands. We are certainly on track to deliver this.'
Other companies are already attempting to mirror Jergens' success. This month, it came to light that FMCG group Johnson & Johnson is launching a major UK push for its 'natural' skincare brand Aveeno, which is believed to be an attempt to take on Jergens.
As part of a big corporation, Franks is aware of the vast opportunities available to her team and her brands, and she makes sure she takes advantage of them. 'We have capability across so many of the major beauty categories, so watch this space with Kao,' she says. 'We have big plans and we have the capability to execute them.'
Franks is poised for action as soon as she has another leading product. 'This is really just the start for us and there will definitely be big news from us in the coming years,' she says.