• by Larissa Faw , February 3, 2015

Over the past few years, Friendly's Ice Cream has filed for bankruptcy, reworked its menu, and installed new leadership. Now, Friendly's is starting the new year with a new agency, Forge Worldwide. 

The Boston-based agency will oversee television, radio, print and out-of-home advertising. in addition, Forge will support the Friendly’s team as it focuses on its rebrand and resurgence in core markets.

"We are excited to embark on a new chapter for Friendly's through our partnership with Forge Worldwide," said Randy Davis, chief marketing officer of Friendly's Ice Cream. "Utilizing this new agency's energetic approach to telling our story, we look forward to creating greater relevance and preference in our markets."

The account win came after a formal review. The incumbent agency,  a&g (Allen & Gerritsen), Boston held the account since 2013. Friendly's spent $2.4 million on ads in 2013, and $2.8 million in the first nine months of 2014, according to Kantar. 

“As New Englanders, over the years, Friendly’s has played an integral role in many of our family’s celebratory moments,” said Harry Chapin, CEO of Forge Worldwide. “We can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and begin working with this hometown brand.” 

Forge Worldwide's other clients include Cisco, Rockland Trust, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Dragon Speech Recognition Software.

Friendly’s Ice Cream, which is owned by private-equity firm Sun Capital Partners, operates over 250 Friendly’s restaurants and manufactures ice cream products distributed in over 8,000 retail outlets.

This story has been updated to include Kantar ad expenditure estimates for Friendly's.