NEW YORK: Strauss Group chocolate brand Max Brenner has selected The Door as its AOR for PR in the US, following a competitive review involving six agencies.
The company, which issued the RFP in February, hired The Door at the beginning of September, said Stacey Paul, director of marketing at Max Brenner. She declined to name the other firms that participated in the review.
Paul said The Door was “highly recommended,” and the company liked its experience working with restaurants.
Before hiring the agency, Max Brenner worked with Peacock Public Relations on several projects, including crisis communications after the Boston Marathon bombing in April, when the second bomb exploded two doors down from a Max Brenner store. The firm also launched the company's fast-casual store concept in Bethesda, MD, in July, said Erin Peacock, the shop's founder.
“We were very pleased to be able to work with Max Brenner,” she added.
Before Peacock Public Relations, the company briefly worked with Neverstop on experiential marketing. Prior to that, it collaborated with Zaria PR, said Paul.
The Door will engage a mix of consumer and trade media around the country, she said, adding that social media efforts are generally handled in-house, but the firm will reach out to bloggers. An event for bloggers will take place in the next few weeks in Bethesda, while a media event is also slated for New York this month.
“We try to balance national exposure with regional, and we try to get the word out about our international expansion efforts,” explained Paul.
In the US, Max Brenner has stores in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, and Bethesda. The company launched in Japan in June, and it also has locations in Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Israel.
“Our goal is to bring new light to the untold stories developing inside the Max Brenner brand, such as the creation of its new Chocolate Bar concept…and the hiring of their new executive chef Katzie Guy-Hamilton,” said Lois Najarian, founder and co-owner of The Door.
A team of five staffers is working on the account, she added.
The contract is for one year. Budget information was not disclosed.
