by Herman Manson (@marklives) Net#work BBDO has lost the Chicken Licken account after holding it for 13 years. Mike Schalit, group creative officer at Net#work BBDO, says the move away from his agency, which takes effect at the end of June 2016, has been on the cards for some time, allowing the agency to plan ahead and avoid any retrenchments.
Chicken Licken founder and MD, George Sombonos, gave the agency the fast-food business more than a decade ago, having known agency co-founder, Keith Shipley. He always told Shipley and Schalit that one day the business would move on, and now it has, as it prepares for Chantal Sombonos (George’s daughter) to eventually take the reins. The company has grown from a small township brand into a R1bn business, with franchises across the country.
Leaving on a high note
According to Schalit, the agency has been creating its best work yet for the brand, and sales at Chicken Licken continues to grow. For him, the account is leaving on a high note. The agency will now focus upon securing another fast-food brand as a client.
Industry speculation suggests that the account is moving to Joe Public. Its MD, Gareth Leck, says he is not currently in a position to comment. He did confirm that two Joe Public fast-food accounts, Steers and Mugg & Bean, are out to pitch, and that the agency continues to service them in the interim.
Herman Manson (@marklives) is the founder and editor of MarkLives.com. He was the inaugural Vodacom Social Media Journalist of the Year in 2011 and has, over his 20-year-plus career, contributed to numerous journals and websites in South Africa and abroad, including AdVantage magazine, Men’s Health, Computer World and African Communications.
— Sign up now for the MarkLives email newsletter every Monday and Thursday, now including headlines from the Ramify.biz company newsroom service!