Chili’s hires George Felix as CMO following Tinder stint

George Felix, a well-regarded marketer known for modernizing and repositioning restaurant brands such as Pizza Hut and KFC, is headed back to the restaurant industry after a short detour leading marketing at the dating app Tinder. Felix begins July 21 as the new chief marketing officer at Chili’s Grill & Bar, the casual dining brand of Brinker International, where he’ll reunite with Brinker’s newly named president and CEO, Kevin Hochman. Hochman, who took over for Brinker’s retiring CEO Wyman Roberts on June 5, previously worked alongside Felix when both focused on Yum Brands-owned restaurants Pizza Hut and KFC. They also worked together at Procter & Gamble, where they worked on revitalizing Old Spice. In 2015, Hochman called Felix as he was setting up shop at KFC. Subscribe to Ad Age Sign up now for the latest industry news and analysis Click here At Tinder, Stephanie Danzi has been senior VP and global head of marketing since May, according to a spokesperson. Danzi has more than 15 years of marketing experience, including leadership roles at Match Group, and spent nearly a decade at PepsiCo. At Chili’s, Felix joins a 47-year-old casual dining brand. The move may indicate that Hochman plans on implementing the kind of renewal programs that were successful at KFC and Pizza Hut. While at Yum, Felix helped lead and launch campaigns—including KFC’s “Return of Colonel Sanders” and Pizza Hut's “Newstalgia” campaign, that helped to modernize each and drive sales growth. "George has a track record of driving sales quickly and rebuilding big brands over time,” Hochman said in a statement. "He is also a servant leader with a focus on growing people—which makes him a perfect fit for our Chili’s culture. I am confident George will bring a fresh perspective to serving our guests and our team members." Hochman had served as president and chief concept officer of KFC since 2017, and at the same time served as president of Pizza Hut U.S., from December of 2019 until January. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here Felix had been KFC’s U.S. director of brand communications, then the company’s global director marketing, before becoming Pizza Hut’s U.S. CMO in 2020. He departed for Tinder, where he served as its CMO, in March 2021. “Chili’s is such an iconic brand that’s not only culturally relevant, but also known for its irreverent approach to advertising and marketing,” Felix said in a statement. “I’m excited to lean on my brand positioning and advertising experience to find new opportunities for building momentum and accelerating growth for this great brand.” In 2018, Ad Age named Felix its Brand Marketer of the Year, and in 2016, he made Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 list. During his career, Felix spent nearly six years in brand marketing roles at Procter & Gamble, where he was known for working on hit campaigns for P&G’s Old Spice. Felix has been at the helm of campaigns collecting 14 Cannes Lions, four Effies and an Emmy for Best Commercial, Brinker said.

Chili’s hires George Felix as CMO following Tinder stint

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