Campaign Imminent: TGI Friday's taps new creative AOR, expands CMO role (Score 60)

Sales Lead: TGI Friday's recently named Crispin Porter + Bogusky as its creative AOR.

• The agency will now lead integrated creative brand platforms for the next 3-5 years.
• CP+B is working on Friday's creative strategy and will launch a new brand platform in 2024.
• Right now, Friday's strategists are focused on expanding their expertise in things like PR and influencer marketing.
• The company will likely:
  • Shift strategy, especially when the new campaign launches
  • Seek new influencer opportunities
  • Return to higher spend
  • Make additional roster shifts
• Target demographic: 
  • Millennials and Gen-X

Recent leadership shifts:.

• Friday's has already expanded the role of Brandon Coleman III, who became its global CMO late last year.
  • In March 2023, Coleman III's role grew to also include that of US president.

Additional spending insights:

• Broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
  • YTD spend: Friday's hasn't utilized national TV since spending around $207.4k in 2022.
  • Last year: The restaurant chain spent approximately $107.4k on this channel last year after not having utilized it in 2021.
  • 2022 ad programming: Last year's commercials targeted Gen-X watching shows such as 90 Day Fiance, Street Outlaws, Evil Lives Here, Unexpected, and Tournament of Champions.
• Digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
  • YTD spend: The company has allocated roughly $1m toward digital ads YTD, down 23% from the roughly $1.3m allocated by this point last year.
  • YTD data: So far this year, Friday's has earned ~142.9m digital impressions via Facebook (68%), Instagram (18%), desktop display (10%), YouTube (2%), and mobile display (2%) ads.
  • Last year: In 2022, the company's estimated full-year spend decreased by 22% to $3.1m from that of $4.m in 2021.
• Additional channel insights  
  • The company utilizes Google Ads along with print, OOH, digital, and local broadcast ads.
  • Friday's sponsors podcasts such as Dave & Chuck the Freak, The Power Trip, Post Reports, Voicemail Dump Truck, and Race Chaser with Alaska & Willam.

Additional agency insights:

• Opportunity: Since roster shifts often follow one another, get in touch soon to offer PR, media, digital analytics, experiential, multicultural, and/or influencer services.
• Current agency roster:
  • Crispin Porter + Bogusky: Creative AOR (June/July 2023)

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