American burger chain Carl’s Jr. has appointed Melbourne-based indie, Dig&Fish, as its lead creative agency in Australia, as the brand looks to rapidly expand from a footprint of eight local stores to 300.
Carl’s Jr. entered Australia’s quick service restaurant (QSR) industry in 2016 and is primarily located in Queensland, where it has the largest amount of restaurants.
The bold plan by the burger chain will be led by a new creative campaign from Dig&Fish, set to be released later this year, and will focus on the brand's "impossible to ignore" brand positioning.
’We have an ambitious growth plan in Australia and through our authentic, creative work with Dig&Fish, the Carl’s Jr. team is excited and confident that we’ll reach these goals, amplify our brand and have some fun along the way,” Carl's Jr. owner, CKE international president Ned Lyerly says.
“It’s vital for us to work with agencies that align with our ambition, strategic thinking and ability to be innovative, and we believe that Dig&Fish is the right partner to help our growth strategy in Australia."
Carl's Jr. can also be found across Australia in New South Wales, Southern Australia and in Victoria, set to open in October.
“We’ll be bringing a new creative campaign to life in 2018 that is bold and energetic, reflective of the Carl’s Jr. brand,” Dig&Fish Melbourne founding and managing director Angie Bradbury says.
With a client portfolio mainly made up of automotive, other Dig&Fish clients include Tesla, Kia, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, M&W wines, Porsche and Jeep.
Carl's Jr. is yet another international burger chain that has been making a bigger play for Australia's QSR category in the past 12 months, with US rival In-N-Out Burger employing a pop-up store marketing strategy to attract customers to the brand.
Pop-up In-N-Out Burger stores have appeared across Australia multiple times in the last year, often attracting customers by the hundreds, with the latest opening in Melbourne selling out in 30 minutes, however, there has been no announcement of a permanent Australian store.
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