Motel 6 Appoints Barkley To Replace The Richards Group

About six weeks after firing its long-time agency The Richards Group, lodging brand Motel 6 has appointed Kansas City-based Barkley as its new ad agency.

Barkley will be working with Motel 6 on several key initiatives in 2021, including a new ‘return to travel’ campaign.

Motel 6 was the first of a number of clients to fire The Richards Group after its founder Stan Richards made racist comments about the client during an internal creative brain-storming session.

Richards apologized for making the remarks and stepped down from active involvement in the agency in mid-October. But the damage was done an a number of big brand clients followed Motel 6 out the door including  Home Depot, regional super market chain HEB, Dr. Pepper, Keurig, Orkin and others.

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“Motel 6 is an iconic brand with a 58-year history leading the economy lodging segment,” stated Rob Palleschi, CEO of the brand’s parent company G6 Hospitality. “A large part of that success has been our commitment to keeping the light on for our guests and being there when and where they need us … Still, you can’t continue to lead a category in today’s environment without evolving, which is why we are excited to be partnering with Barkley to advance our strategic vision for the brand and shine a fresh, new light on a legacy brand.”

In the past few years, Motel 6 has implemented a number of initiatives that place greater emphasis on its brand management, including new standards designed to insure consistent quality, safety and service across all Motel 6 properties.  Adam Cannon, vice president of brand management, will manage the Barkley relationship.

Despite the pandemic, Motel 6 has added 98 franchise properties to its portfolio this year and has plans for similar expansion in 2021. Motel 6 and sibling brand Studio 6 have a combined 1,400 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

 

 

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