• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, September 25, 2017

Independent ad agency Firehouse has been named AOR for Texas Dairy Queen. The selection came after a formal review that included several other undisclosed agencies. 

New work from the agency, based in Dallas, is expected to break in January. 

The account had been handled in-house for the past two years. Before that The Loomis Agency handled the business for over a decade. 

Estimated annual billings are $12 million. 

Lou Romanus, CEO of Texas Dairy Queen Operators’ Council (TDQOC) stated, “Franchisee systems like ours can pose some interesting challenges for an agency. We were really impressed with the way Firehouse was able to dig into our diverse markets, uncover new data and insights and deliver a compelling new plan for us moving forward.”   

Firehouse CMO and executive creative director Tripp Westbrook  added,  “We felt a connection with Lou and TDQ from the very beginning and knew there was an opportunity to sharpen both their strategy and creative and deliver them through a modern, multi-channel media mix. As one of Texas’ signature brands, they deserve nothing less.” Texas is home to the largest number of DQ’s in the country with an estimated 600 locations. 

The win is the latest of a string of recent new business awards for the 20-year-old Firehouse. Among the others are Nature Nate’s Honey Co. and Supreme Lending.