The Adlib Group has won the Mary Brown’s Famous Chicken & Taters account and is kicking off the three-year agreement with a food-focused campaign that invites Canadians to ‘Get Mary’d.’

Adlib will be handling the repositioning of the brand, marketing and promotions, media planning, public relations and social media marketing.

The 85-restaurant chain, spread across four provinces, left Newfoundland-based M5 after three years and was searching for an agency that could focus more energy on the growing company and its $2 million ad budget, Nigel Beattie, president & COO, Mary Brown’s, tells MiC.

‘What I really liked about Adlib was their personal approach,’ he says. ‘They’re a medium-sized company and they’re heavily involved in all aspects of our business.’

He adds, ‘Our niche in the marketplace is the quality of our product. I think the other agency brought us to another level, and Adlib will be able to bring us to another level yet again.’

The first campaign, which ditched the chicken character the chain had been using for several years, began on Jan. 4 with billboards and transit shelters near Mary Brown’s restaurants promoting the QSR’s signature sandwich, the Big Mary. That will be joined later this month with 15-second radio spots during morning and afternoon drive times.

Adlib president Michael Abramson says future campaigns will include TV and online ads once the restaurant chain’s website has been updated. In the year’s second quarter, the company will be introducing social media initiatives.