Media Giant Horizon Assumes Media Buying Responsibilities for Dave's Hot Chicken Following $1 Billion Acquisition
Dave's Hot Chicken, the fast-growing chicken restaurant chain, has appointed Horizon Media as its media agency of record, following its acquisition by Roark Capital in June. This strategic move is aimed at bolstering the brand's marketing efforts, particularly in managing its fragmented budgets more efficiently.
Horizon Media's Blu platform, a state-of-the-art marketing solution, was particularly attractive to Dave's Hot Chicken due to its AI-driven integration of audience insights, media activation, and real-time performance measurement across channels. This seamless connection between audience data and media buying enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing spend on both national and local levels.
One of the key advantages of Blu is its transparency and attribution at the local store level. Franchisees can now track and understand the impact of their campaigns, providing clear visibility into how marketing efforts drive store-level outcomes. Additionally, the self-serve portal for local franchisees empowers them to independently manage and allocate their marketing budgets, while staying aligned with national marketing strategies.
The platform's data transparency and integration capabilities also stood out. Blu can marry Dave’s own business data and Horizon’s agency data, ensuring a unified view and better-informed decisions. Moreover, Blu's scalability and streamlining of complex marketing tech stacks simplify marketing technology management for fragmented budgets across channels.
With both same-store sales growth and new restaurant openings accelerating, and its number of locations growing 50% year over year, Dave's Hot Chicken is planning to increase its investment in media to support demand. The chain currently has more than 320 locations open, and Roark Capital, which also owns Subway, has major growth plans for Dave's, aiming to expand to more than 350 locations across four countries by the end of 2025.
Dave's Hot Chicken will continue to handle creative in-house, sometimes bringing on agencies for specific campaigns. Horizon will lead local and national media planning and buying across channels. COMvergence estimates Dave's media spend for 2024 was $15 million.
The rapid expansion of Dave's Hot Chicken prompted the need for a media agency with advanced data and attribution capabilities. Horizon Media was particularly impressive with its Blu platform, which uses AI to connect audience insights, media activation, and real-time performance measurement across channels. Horizon replaces incumbent Initiative on the account.
Notably, Horizon Media has recently won the $450 Million media account of Spectrum, further highlighting its prowess in the industry. The pitch was fronted by West Coast president Karen Hunt. Social content can also be used to create video ads, further strengthening Dave's Hot Chicken's social strategy, which continues to focus on organic content from customers. The brand has enough social cache that customers want to go to a Dave's restaurant and post about it.
Changes following Initiative parent company IPG's pending merger with Omnicom led Dave's to seek a better long-term fit. The appointment of Horizon Media marks a significant step forward in Dave's Hot Chicken's journey towards national and local expansion, leveraging advanced data and AI-powered analytics for enhanced marketing efficiency.
- To boost its marketing efficiency and manage fragmented budgets more effectively, Dave's Hot Chicken has appointed Horizon Media as its media agency of record, citing Horizon's Blu platform's integration of audience insights, media activation, and real-time performance measurement across channels as a major draw.
- With the goal of enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing spend on both national and local levels, Dave's Hot Chicken plans to invest more in media to support its growth, particularly in light of the chain's rapid expansion and increasing number of locations.
