Arby’s and Sonic Drive-In have been part of the same company for less than two weeks. Now they’re working with the same media agencyPublicis Groupe’s Zenith, which has won the Arby’s business from Interpublic’s Initiative.
Inspire Brands, which owns Arby’s and Buffalo Wild Wings, bought Sonic in December. Sonic has worked with Zenith for years. Zenith will begin working on the Arby’s national account as of of Jan. 1. Initiative, which held the Arby’s account for more than 15 years, retains the brand’s local media account. The Arby’s national account shift represents the second time this month that a client has moved media from Interpublic to Publicis Groupe: Last week, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles shifted its media business from UM to Starcom.
However, an IPG Mediabrands spokesman said Initiative it did not participate in the Arby’s review. “As Arby’s is now part of Inspire Brands joining other restaurant brands like Buffalo Wild Wings, we declined to pitch due to conflicts with other Initiative clients,” he stated in an email. Initiative handles Applebees, which competes with Buffalo Wild Wings.
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