The Richards Group, now known as TRG, is an
advertising agency in Dallas, Texas. The company has been recognized as an
Adweek Agency of the Year.[1] TRG’s “We’ll leave the light on for you” radio campaign for
Motel 6 was named one of the “Top 100 Ad Campaigns in American History” by
Ad Age magazine.[2] Its “Farmer” TV ad for
Ram Trucks was one of the highest-scoring Super Bowl spots in USA Today’s 2013 “Ad Meter” ranking. The
Chick-fil-A cows created by TRG were inducted into the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame in 2007.[3]
In October 2020, following racist comments made by the agency's founder, Stan Richards, the company lost two of its longtime clients, Motel 6 (34 years) and Home Depot[4] (25 years); other clients also decided to leave the firm, including
Keurig Dr Pepper,[5] the
brewers of Shiner Bock beer[6] and grocery chain
H-E-B.[7] Richards (who had recently delegated most day-to-day management of the firm to his senior creative directors as part of a previously announced succession plan[8]) resigned from the firm soon thereafter.[9][10]
Based in
Dallas, Texas,[11] The Richards Group reported annual billings above $1 billion. Memorable work includes the
Chick-fil-A Cows ("Eat Mor Chikin"),[12] and the
Motel 6 campaign featuring
Tom Bodett.
The agency handled advertising, public relations, and promotions for clients, in addition to sports/entertainment marketing for colleges and universities.[13]
In 2022, the agency changed its name to TRG in an attempt to distance itself from Stan Richards, and to signal a change in direction.[14] The agency moved after Stan Richards and Scot Dykema, the manager of a partnership called SBR Holdings, which owned the building, sold it to a group of commercial real estate investors.[15]
History
In 1953, Stan Richards began doing freelance design work in Dallas.[16]
The company became a full-service advertising agency in 1976[17] and in 1986, Motel 6 was signed as a client.[18]
In 2016, The Richards Group took AOR (agency of record) for
Blue Bell Creameries.[19] In 2018,
Dish Network selected The Richards Group as its creative agency of record.[20]
In 2020, The Richards Group and Motel 6 ended their relationship over racist remarks by the agency founder.[21][22] Home Depot also dropped The Richards Group following the founder's racist remarks.[23][24] Several other clients left The Richards Group after the racist comments.[25][26][27]
In 2020, Stan Richards resigned from The Richards Group[10][28] and Glenn Dady took over as the CEO.[29] TRG projected an ad for Choctaw Casinos onto the
Leaning Tower of Dallas.[30]
In 2021, TRG hired Sue Batterton as the first Chief Creative Officer[31] and Nikki Wilson as Chief Talent and Cultural Officer.[32]
In 2022, The Richards Group rebranded to TRG[33] relocated its headquarters from Uptown to The Stack, Hines’ office/retail project at 2700 Commerce in Deep Ellum.[34] TRG hired a new chief financial officer, Michelle Gardner, to oversee the firm’s accounting team[35] and worked with actor
Ken Jeong to create a campaign for Thermacare.[36]
In 2023, TRG created new spots for Dave’s Killer Bread, supporting second chance for incarcerated employees,[37] and for Choctaw Casinos featuring former Dallas sports stars. [38]