J&S will again tag team with Dallas Observer’s Alice Laussade to promote the 5th Annual Meat Fight, where 16 of Dallas’ celebrity chefs compete in a Texas BBQ competition benefitting the MS Society. Last year’s event sold out in under 5 minutes and raised $100,000, double the amount of the previous year. It also scored 6 Gold and 2 Silver ADDYs at the local and regional level for the agency. This year’s event is November 15 at the old, green warehouse at Trinity Grove.
Who knew that United States Navy SEALs sew? Carry The Load co-founder and former Officer of SEAL Team Five Stephen Holley is using this his military knowledge, along with tactical experience from tours in Iraq, Southeast Asia and more to create a new outdoor gear company. Johnson & Sekin is honored to have been chosen for brand development and go-to-market strategies for Holley’s newest adventure.
The backyard is now open for Cole’s Backyard Grill. The new, fast-casual concept restaurant from Homestyle Dining, owners of the Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses, serves bold backyards faves like burgers, steaks, Shiner® Beer Can Chicken and “Texas’ 2nd best chicken fried steak.” J&S broke radio and POP work for the July grand opening, followed by a Free Chicken Fried Steak Night in August that’s still the talk of residents and media in East Texas.
Our one-year relationship with the AT&T Byron Nelson has swung into a deeper relationship with the Momentous Institute, the beneficiary of the annual golf tournament. The Momentous Institute schools of Dallas help children and their families achieve social emotional health so they can reach their full potential. Work for the nationally recognized organization will consist of educational materials, as well as interactive and supplemental materials for the 2015/2016 school year giving campaign.
Chef Tiffany Derry gained national exposure and became a fan favorite with her appearance on Bravo’s Top Chef. The former chef and owner of Private|Social has selected J&S to help brand and design her newest North Dallas restaurant venture that will open in the late Fall. In addition to winning Dallas’ “Meat Fight” charity event, Derry has also appeared on Top Chef All Stars, Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen, and is the star of Spike TV’s Hungry Investors and Bar Rescue.
Horns Giving Back is a 501©3 non-profit started by Texas Longhorns for Texas Longhorns. J&S clients Roy Williams and BJ Johnson are actively involved in the organization, and help coordinate the annual “Tee It Up for Cole Pittman Golf Tournament.” Pittman was a sophomore defenseman who was tragically killed in a car wreck in 2001 returning to UT from his family’s home in Shreveport. J&S was a sponsor of this year’s event, and played in the event with former Longhorn and NFL Players.
The Nation’s Restauarant News Hot Concept! is now getting exposure that’s hot off the press. J&S’ interior design work for the neighborhood italian eatery in Chicago was the featured spread in the July issues of Foodservice Equipment Report magazine. The article described the branded interior as “lively” with “visual pizazz,” and they saw it becoming a “rising star” even in the competitive Chicago marketplace.
Each year, our passion for Caliber Collision’s summer food drive grows, as does the event itself. Now in its fourth year, the food drive is the largest of its kind in the industry, spanning 12 states and 28 local food banks. This year’s efforts raised a record-breaking $2.3M in food and cash donations for at-risk kids who are on school lunch programs during the year, but who turn to local food banks during the summer.
Builder Magazine recently reviewed the nation’s Top100 homebuilders in terms of their effectiveness in social media, particularly Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. A stunning 5233% increase in Followers over an 18-month period helped cement the Dallas-based builder in the #6 spot.
For the second year in a row, Johnson & Sekin participated in the Carry The Load walk on Memorial Day to remember and honor America’s fallen Military. Our team, which included our Caliber Collision clients and friends, walked a collective 50 miles, and raised over $3500 to qualify as a Top 50 Donor. The day was even more special as Rachael Sekin went into labor later that night with baby Tae.
The National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago seemed to have a little of everything….except ad agencies. To our surprise, J&S was among only a handful of agencies around the country to attend this important industry show. Kent, Chris, Clint, Shannon and Stopper forged new industry relationships, and attended workshops on an array of topics including Millennial marketing, social media, wine programs, nontraditional foodservice, business diners, innovation through consumer data, menu engineering, cause marketing and kids menus. For an agency that already had a strong reputation for insightful, award-winning work in restaurant marketing, it should only make us that much stronger. And J&S’ tweeting for #NRAshow trended among the highest of all show attendees, even receiving retweets from Restaurant Impossible Chef Robert Irvine and NRN’s Ron Ruggless.
