Gen-X, Millennial Media Opps: Red Robin appoints marketing chief amid spend declines (Score 66)

Sales lead: This hire will directly impact the company's marketing strategy & agency roster. 

• Red Robin (RR) hired Kevin Mayer as CMO, effective May 2023.
• Mayer joins from Pedego Electric Bikes, where he held the same position.
• He is now responsible for all marketing duties such as brand development, menu innovation, and digital. 

Target demographic: Gen-Xers & millennials

The company will likely:

• Ramp ad spend back up
• Experiment with new ad channels
• Review agency relationships

Broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)

• YTD spend: RR has not allocated any budget toward national TV ads so far this year.
• 2021-2022 spend: Full-year spend dropped 13% from $178k in 2021 to $155.1k in 2022. 
• Ad programming: It placed ads during programming such as Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud, Entertainment Tonight, Modern Family, and Jeopardy!. 

Digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)

• YTD spend: RR spent about $161.9k on digital display ads YTD, just 20% of the $809.8k spent in this channel during the same time period of 2022.
• YTD data: 18.5m impressions via Instagram (38%), Facebook (33%), and YouTube (28%). 
• 2021-2022 spend: Full-year spend fell by 22% from $7.2m in 2021 to $5.6m in 2022. 
• Ad location: It placed 100% of these ads directly onto instagram.com, facebook.com, and youtube.com. 

Additional channel insights  

• Vivvix: RR also utilizes OOH, radio, and local broadcast.

Agency analysis:

• Opportunity: Contact the new CMO now to secure top priority. 
• Current roster:
  • The Integer Group: creative AOR
  • Assembly: media buying/planning & digital
  • Coyne Public Relations: PR

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