P.F. Chang’s taps social media expert to lead new marketing team

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P.F. Chang's has promoted its caput of societal media to a recently created role, marking a caller beforehand successful the chain's selling strategy.

Patrick Benson, antecedently societal and influencer selling pb for the Asian casual-dining brand, is present manager of selling communications.

The caller section formalizes the strategy that has led to immoderate caller palmy selling campaigns for P.F. Chang's, specified arsenic Lunar New Year, Valentine's Day, and Summer successful Tokyo.

These campaigns utilized an integrated communications approach, including partnerships with societal media influencers, to assistance get the connection out. Summer successful Tokyo, for instance, is simply a seasonal paper starring an eye-catching Sushi Boat, supported by a societal collaboration with stars of the world amusement "Below Deck."

The campaigns person resulted successful wide media coverage, 200 cardinal video views, and $11 cardinal successful earned media worth portion contributing to 1 of P.F. Chang's strongest income years to date, the institution said successful a property release.

P.F. Chang's has besides benefited from immoderate unplanned viral moments, including an enactment with TikTok idiosyncratic @badvina, who created a illustration for a fake barroom concern and started receiving existent orders. P.F. Chang's ended up sending a fewer of its cakes to her door, which became a viral video for the chain.

Benson, who joined the institution successful aboriginal 2025, has been astatine the halfway of these efforts arsenic caput of societal media. P.F. Chang's credited him with "[transforming] its integer beingness done creator-first storytelling and culturally applicable campaigns."

He antecedently held societal and PR roles astatine El Pollo Loco for 4 years and earlier that managed societal media for CBS, Fox, and NBCUniversal.

In his caller role, Benson volition oversee a wide swath of P.F. Chang's communications functions, including nationalist relations, firm communications, influencer strategy, and societal media.

"Patrick has been instrumental successful helping germinate however P.F. Chang's shows up successful civilization and connects with today's guests," said CMO Holly Smith successful a statement. "As our selling enactment continues to grow, establishing a dedicated Marketing Communications relation is simply a earthy adjacent step. Patrick's quality to seamlessly link social, influencer, nationalist relations, and marque storytelling has elevated each run he's touched, making him the perfect person to physique this relation and assistance signifier the adjacent section of our brand."

Phoenix-based P.F. Chang's is successful the midst of a turnaround nether caller CEO Jim Mazany, and selling has been a cardinal portion of the program truthful far. The concatenation hired the seasoned Smith successful January to boost its selling efforts.