100-Day Review Spotlights Positive Gains at Church's Chicken(R) Leadership Conference

Strong Franchisee Performance, New Marketing Strategies, and Innovative Product Part of Renewed Brand Focus. End Quote

Dallas, TX (1888PressRelease) September 22, 2017 - In the six months since Hector Munoz was named Executive Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer for Church’s Chicken® - one of the world’s largest fried chicken restaurant brands – the brand has been undergoing an end-to-end revamp of its marketing approach. At the brand’s annual business information meeting, Munoz shared the results from the first months he and his team have been in office – specifically how the brand is delivering on its mission to become the global franchisor of choice and how to leverage great chicken experiences guests love into bottom-line profitability for Church’s® restaurant operators.

“For the past six months, we’ve been laser focused on efforts that we believe will position us to better compete in both the short and long term,” Munoz stated to a group of hundreds of franchisees, managers, and other leaders in the Church’s system. Among the top priorities Munoz covered were driving profitable sales, nurturing trusting relationships and building credibility with the franchisee network, and hiring the right agency partners to achieve a unified brand message and position worldwide.

“I’m pleased to report that system same-store sales are headed in the right direction, despite a very challenging business environment and horrific storms that have impacted our communities lately,” Munoz explained. As the entire QSR industry continues to fight declining sales numbers, the steady position of Church’s came as welcome news, proving that hard work and quality product do, in fact, pay off. Even more encouraging was Munoz’s report on Church’s new $5 Real Big Deal promotion, which has already posted an increase over the previous year, and an impressive jump over the previous two weeks.

The straightforward CMO was quick to add that short-term sales goals are only part of the equation, and then he outlined his hands-on approach to building franchisee support. Munoz has visited over 50 franchise groups in 10 different global markets during his first 100 days, and has also attended (and will continue to attend), DMA meetings and tour restaurants throughout the rest of 2017 and into 2018. He also shared the brand’s new marketing vision for a solid agency team that utilizes creative strength, global strategy, and cost-saving technologies to make marketing a wise investment for the brand. As such, J. Walter Thompson Atlanta was officially announced as creative agency of record, CESO+Clear as strategic positioning agency of record, and Pointsmith as production and fulfillment agency of record. The combination of these teams working together is designed to minimize costs to the entire brand, but especially for franchisees – allowing the whole system to move quickly and nimbly from one promotional effort to the next, with no unnecessary downtime or wasted expense.

Lastly, Munoz took the time to discuss marketing tactics for 2018 such as stronger dual-language messaging, compelling traffic-driving LTOs, product segments with high growth potential, and creative ways to maximize share among core menu items such as bone-in chicken. “The overall goal here, is to deliver more value and increase our average check by competing with the things we have and that guests want to buy,” he stated. “It’s not about undercutting price – it’s delivering on guests’ expectations of what kind of meal is worth their hard-earned money.”

In his ending remarks, Munoz also stated, “2018 can be the best year yet. But it’s going to take flawless marketing execution on our part and flawless operational execution on your part. Remember, a simple idea executed brilliantly wins every single time. So, let’s be brilliant!”

About Church’s Chicken®
Founded in San Antonio, TX in 1952 by George W. Church, Church’s Chicken® is one of the largest quick service restaurant chicken chains in the world. Church’s® specializes in Original and Spicy Chicken freshly prepared throughout the day in small batches that are hand-battered and double-breaded, Tender Strips®, sandwiches, honey-butter biscuits made from scratch and freshly baked, and classic, home-style sides all for a great value. Church’s® (along with its sister brand Texas Chicken® outside the Americas) has more than 1,650 locations in 27 countries and international territories and system-wide sales of more than $1 billion. For more information, visit www.churchs.com. Follow Church’s® on Facebook at www.facebook.com/churchschicken and Twitter at www.twitter.com/churchschicken.

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