CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified the CMO to whom Zimmerman’s CEO referred in 2011 a statement as Jonathan Muhtar, who joined Captain D’s several months after the quote in question. It was his predecessor, Monte Jump.
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The client once dropped by our friends at Zimmerman has launched a new agency review after 5 years with TM Advertising.
Back in 2011, current Zimmerman CEO Michael Goldberg explained why his agency was resigning the account, writing, “the ‘kiss my new ring’ game is one that we simply refuse to play – especially since we have had an unwavering mission to help the brand regain its focus on seafood and commitment to kitchen fresh quality.”
He was referencing the arrival of CMO Monte Jump, who he described as “a new CMO that has a history of quick reviews and short stops on his resume.”
Dallas-based IPG shop TM Advertising, which is part of the McCann network, then picked up the business in December 2011, beating out a group of shops that included Barkley and Brunner. The chain has not announced a new marketing leader, but it is looking for a new creative agency.
“The client will be conducting an agency review. And while they have asked us to participate, we have declined,” wrote TM CEO Becca Wigman in an internal memo. She added that the client, which has been expanding in recent months, wasn’t in such a good place five years ago. “The COO said to us in the pitch, ‘We have had double digit decline in the last 10 years and we are asking you to increase our sales by 3% and we are not going to have any innovation for at least a year or more. Good Luck,'” Wigman wrote. “We helped them achieve 10% growth in year one and year-on-year sales increases for 20 consecutive quarters!”
The specific reasons for the review are unclear. Representatives for Captain D’s and its consulting firm have not responded to requests for comment.
According to Kantar Media, the business spent approximately $9.3 million on paid media in the U.S. last year and just under $5 million in the first half of 2016.