Wingstop appoints Hello as agency of record ahead of Sydney launch
Ahead of its official launch this weekend, Wingstop Australia has appointed recently-rebranded Hello as its full-service agency of record, following a competitive pitch process.
The quick service restaurant (QSR) is officially launching in Sydney’s King’s Cross on May 17, and has appointed Hello to lead brand, creative, media, earned, experiential, digital, social, collaborator, in-store, POS and retail, and loyalty programs.
Formerly known as Hello Social, the agency was once a specialist in digital marketing, social media, and influencer marketing. In February, it officially dropped the ‘Social’ from its name.
The relaunched agency created a philosophy of ‘creative intelligence’. It said at the time that Hello is not just a name change or cluster of businesses under one banner, but one group, one strategy, and one P&L.
Sam Kelly, managing director of Hello, described Wingstop as “one of the world’s most exciting brands”, and said the appointment is a “huge validation” of the agency’s philosophy.
“They have a rich history and well-established presence in the US as sponsors of the NBA and UFC. Conversely, in emerging markets like the UK, they have won over Gen Z by tapping into culture and letting collaborators lead,” he wrote on Linkedin.
“Our approach locally will focus on a combination of big brand-building and activating Gen Z trendsetters in new media environments.
“This is a brand that doesn’t do quiet, and like the flavour: we’re here to make noise.”
Wingstop first launched in 1994 in Texas, and by 1997, began offering franchises. It now has over 2,500 restaurants across the US, UK, France, UAE, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, and Indonesia. In 2015, Wingstop went public on the US stock exchange Nasdaq, and has a current market cap of US$7.5 billion (AU$11.7 billion).
It is not the only US-founded QSR making moves in the Australian market at the moment.
Burger chain Wendy’s recently appointed its first Australian CMO, Corina Black, as it looks to launch in 200 locations across the country within the next ten years. It launched its first store in Surfer’s Paradise earlier this year.
However, several US chains have found it difficult to succeed in Australia.
Carl’s Jr exited the Australian market last July, and last month, Taco Bell’s local licensee Collins Foods announced it will look to sell off its 27 Australian local stores, with plans to exit by next year.
Pizza chain Little Caesars launched locally in 2014, but had wound up in 2019, while burger chain Five Guys, who opened its first Australian store in 2021, has only added four more to its tally, an average of one store a year.
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the agency beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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