Zaxby’s, a chicken chain with more than 900 locations, made a splash earlier this year with its “Guy on a Buffalo Wing” campaign, a bizarrely compelling spot by Tombras featuring a man riding an outsized hot wing.
Now, Zaxby’s is hungry for more growth, and the restaurant has chosen Cincinnati agency Empower as its media agency of record. Empower is charged with expanding the Zaxby’s media footprint and helping double its business in five years.
Through a rigorous pitch process and multiple marketing impact models, the independent agency earned the contract. Empower will lead local and national data-driven planning and buying, as well as drive effective utilization of first-party data.
“Zaxby’s is entering a new phase of growth which requires forward thinking strategic partners, particularly as media consumption evolves,” said Patrick Schwing, chief marketing & strategy officer at Zaxby’s in a statement. “We are raising the bar on media planning, modeling, and measurement to deliver strong marketing investment returns for our system. Empower is the right partner to plan and buy our media in both national and in local co-op markets.”
Empower has extensive experience in working with growth-oriented brands that require innovative approaches to media, which is what it brings to the Zaxby’s relationship.
“Our shared values of transparency and people-driven culture will make for a very exciting and meaningful partnership,” said Jim Price, president and CEO at Empower in a statement.
Based in Athens, Georgia, Zaxby’s will be close to Empower’s new Atlanta office in West Midtown. Located inside The Interlock building, Empower welcomed employees into the new space in mid-October and plan to host a larger launch party in 2023.