Campaign Imminent: CKE Restaurants taps new media AOR, CEO with marketing background (Score 69)

Sales Lead: CKE Restaurants recently selected Camelot Strategic Marketing & Media as its US media AOR as part of major marketing strategy changes.

• The agency will now handle media strategy, buying, and planning its major fast food chain brands, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's.
• CKE's leaders hope to decrease the company's national linear TV spend in a shift toward digital and connected TV (CTV).
• CKE will continue showing up on local linear TV where it makes sense; the company is starting to target consumers based on their proximity to restaurants rather than targeting whole cities.
• The company is also working to develop separate identities - including unique voices and media approaches - for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's.
  • For now, CKE will continue launching joint ads, but the company will implement a full separation later in the year.
  • In September, both brands launched new logos and uniforms, along with new ads featuring fake newscasters.
• This review was sparked by CKE's 2022 appointment of CMO Tana Davila; it is also currently in search of a new CBO to succeed incumbent Chad Crawford.
• CKE previously worked with RPA.
• The company will likely:
  • Continue shifting strategy
  • Launch a new campaign
  • Keep increasing digital spend
  • Seek additional agency partners
• Target demographic: 
  • Gen-Z and millennials with a male skew

Recent leadership shifts: 

• ​​​​​​​This announcement follows not only a recent CMO hire but a recent CEO hire as well.
  • In March 2023, Max Wetzel became the CEO at CKE.
  • He most recently served as the EVP and COO at Papa John's, where he also served as chief commercial and marketing officer from November 2019-October 2021.
  • Wetzel's marketing expertise leads me to believe that his hire will end up greatly impacting CKE's strategy.
• CKE also recently hired marketing SVP Regina Schneider (September 2022), creative VP Kara Gasbarro (December 2022), and brand marketing VP Anthony Nguyen (December 2022).

Additional spending insights:

• Refer here for recent broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance), along with digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance), for Hardee's and Carl's Jr.  
• Additional channel insights  
  • The company utilizes OOH, digital, radio, local broadcast, Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram, and online video (via Youtube.com) ads.
  • In the past, CKE has worked with influencer partners such as Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton.

Additional agency insights:

• Opportunity: CKE may reportedly seek brand-specific creative agency partners for Hardee's and Carl's Jr., so get in touch soon to be top-of-mind.
  • ​​​​​​​The company may be most likely to seek project-based assistance before landing on new creative agency partners.
• Current agency roster:
  • ​​​​​​​Camelot Strategic Marketing & Media: Media AOR (April 2023)
  • 72andSunny: Creative and digital AOR
  • LaForce: PR AOR

Insight Sources: Broadcast insights estimated by iSpot; digital spend insights estimated by Pathmatics; additional channel insights estimated by Vivvix.