Shortly after hiring Jack in the Box’s Chief Marketing Officer Iwona Alter, Habit Restaurants Inc. (Nasdaq: HABT) in Irvine has hired its first agency of record.
Huntington Beach-based Innocean USA, which started out as the in-house agency for Orange County’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor America, will handle creative work and media buying for the 50-year-old burger restaurant chain.
“After an exhaustive search for a partnering agency to help us reinforce our brand development efforts, we selected Innocean for their inventive approach to brand building and smart creative, as well as their impressive data capabilities,” Alter said in a statement. “We’re excited to work closely with the Innocean team, and we believe that together we can connect the brand with our guests in new and meaningful ways.”
Along with the new ad agency, Alter added Vice President of Digital Marketing Brandon LaChance to her team, a new position. LaChance held leadership roles in marketing at the Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s and Burger King brands, and most recently served as senior vice president of digital at Edelman. He will lead marketing communications strategy including media and creative, as well as oversee digital guest experience, according to Habit.
Innocean has about 400 employees in Orange County and notched about $250 million in 2018 revenue, roughly the same amount as Habit’s current market value. Habit, which has more than 260 restaurants in 12 states, spent $3.6 million on advertising and promotions expenses last year on $402.1 million in revenue, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
