There is a particular kind of optimism that arrives on Madison Avenue approximately one quarter after the 12th consecutive quarter of declining sales. It tends to arrive carrying a new agency roster and speaking confidently about relevance.
Dave & Buster's, the 45-year-old chain of restaurants that double as arcades (or arcades that double as restaurants, depending on one's appetite), has appointed two new agencies of record after what the company described as a competitive pitch process. Gut, the independent agency founded in 2018, will handle creative duties, while Mediaplus takes on media planning and buying.
The appointments end relationships with Deloitte Digital, which had served as creative agency of record, and Dentsu X, which handled media. Both incumbents participated in the review, which is to say they were invited to defend business they ultimately did not keep.
Jeremy Tucker, the chain's chief marketing officer, told Adweek that the company finds itself at "a pivotal moment," a phrase that has launched a thousand agency searches. Mr. Tucker was careful to note that the coming work would not constitute a brand refresh, pointing out that consumer awareness of Dave & Buster's hovers around 90 percent.
(Awareness, of course, is not the same as affection, and neither is the same as showing up on a Tuesday evening to play skee-ball.)
The challenge facing Gut and Mediaplus is one familiar to legacy brands that have watched their cultural moment recede while their name recognition remains stubbornly high: persuading Americans that a place they already know about is a place they might actually want to go. Thirteen quarters is a long time to wait for that particular tide to turn, though on Madison Avenue, hope springs eternal — especially when accompanied by a new brief.
Original story published in adweek.com: "Dave & Buster’s Hires New Agencies to Get More People Into Its Locations"