TGI Friday’s is said to be shifting its creative business to Wong, Doody, Crandall, Wiener after just two years at Publicis.
The chain restaurant’s chief marketing officer, Trey Hall, knows Wong, Doody from his days as CMO at Quiznos, a former Wong, Doody client. Hall joined TGI Friday’s in May 2010.
The shift comes seven months after the company moved its media account to Pohmedia (planning) and Horizon Media (buying). The New York office of Publicis and the Chicago office of Spark Communications won the creative and media business, respectively, after a review in 2009.
The restaurant’s media spending has declined in recent years, from nearly $100 million in 2007 to $87 million in 2008 and $52 million in 2009, according to Nielsen. Last year’s total was not immediately available.
The Culver City, Calif. office of Wong, Doody referred calls to a TGI Friday’s representative, who had no immediate comment. The Carrollton, Texas-based chain, a unit of Carlson Restaurants, has some 928 restaurants, including 528 in the U.S.
