A&W is the oldest fast-food company in the world and has 1,100 franchise restaurants including 350 overseas locations in 10 countries and territories. In December, 2011, A&W was acquired from YUM! Brands by a partnership of domestic and international A&W Restaurant franchisees.

 

Sarah Blasi, A&W director of marketing explains that, “We were not actively ‘looking’ for a new agency partner. We were introduced to Cornett when A&W first relocated to Lexington via a blitz they did on our social media accounts that included personal stories about their employees’ relationships with our brand. Reading these stories and seeing the innovative marketing they were doing for other clients, we knew we needed to meet with them and understand their capabilities. We were blown away by their intense need to understand every detail of the brands they work on, in addition to their scrappy and resourceful nature, which is very similar to our own organization.”

 

Kip Cornett, CEO and founder of Cornett IMS, remarks, “We are excited by the potential we see in the A&W brand, which is the latest in a growing list of national and international brands we represent. Knowing a client’s industry and business goals inside out allows us to anticipate trends and recognize which ones can be used to keep a brand fresh with core customers. That’s one reason clients stay with us five times longer than the national average.”