'Party Central' Tops Category with Platinum Award, Named Best Return on Investment Overall; 'Punt Challenge' Wins Gold Award, Named Most Creative Communications Campaign of 2009

CARROLLTON, Texas and CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- T.G.I. Friday's USA (www.fridays.com) and its public relations agency DFPR (www.dfpr.com) were recently named Special Achievement Category Winners by the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) in the 2009 Magellan Awards Communications Campaign Competition.

T.G.I. Friday's USA/DFPR's publicity campaign for "Party Central" was voted the best-in-class Platinum Award winner in the Product/Service: Consumer category and was also named the Best Return on Investment across all categories of competition. T.G.I. Friday's USA/DFPR's "Punt Challenge" campaign was a Gold Award winner, finishing second in class to "Party Central," and was also named the Most Creative Communications Campaign overall. Each campaign was named in the Top 50 Publicity Campaigns of 2009, finishing #6 and #12 overall out of 375 entries. T.G.I. Friday's USA/DFPR was the only entrant to win two special achievement category awards.

"This year's entries, 'Party Central' and 'Punt Challenge,' prove to be remarkable in light of tremendous competition," said Christine Kennedy, LACP Managing Director. "Overall, we find this work to be superb. We classify the entries as being the best return on investment and most creative of all communications materials judged by LACP this year."

T.G.I. Friday's USA and DFPR have won four special achievement category awards in the past three years. The company and agency's campaign for Give Me More Stripes® was named Most Engaging Communications Campaign of 2008 and their 2007 campaign for "Right Portion, Right Price" was the overall winner for Most News Coverage.

The League of American Communications Professionals LLC (LACP) was established in 2001 in order to create a forum within the public relations industry that facilitates discussion of best-in-class practices within the profession while also recognizing those who demonstrate exemplary communications capabilities. The Magellan Awards Communications Campaign Competition annually recognizes the best publicity campaigns from some of the most recognized organizations throughout the world.

With more than 900 restaurants in 60 countries, including approximately 600 restaurants in the U.S., T.G.I. Friday's offers great food, innovative drinks and a unique experience filled with flair and a Thank God It's Friday's(TM) attitude. Friday's authentic, engaging atmosphere makes it the perfect place to escape, socialize and connect with people while getting a rejuvenating second wind. Members of Give Me More Stripes®, Friday's guest recognition program, receive free stuff and special perks year-round. As the original casual dining restaurant, T.G.I. Friday's has a rich heritage which includes being credited with popularizing Happy Hour, Long Island Iced Tea and Loaded Potato Skins. T.G.I. Friday's is also famous for its flair bartenders, approximately 8000 of whom compete annually for the title of the "World's Greatest T.G.I. Friday's Bartender."

Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc., the parent company of TGI Friday's Inc., is a privately held company owned by Minneapolis-based Carlson, a world leader in the hospitality and travel industries. As of December 2009, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide owns, operates, franchises or licenses more than 1,000 restaurants in 60 countries. For more information, visit http://www.fridays.com.

DFPR, with offices in Charlotte and Phoenix, is a public relations firm specializing in news management, media relations, publicity and strategic communication. For more information, visit www.dfpr.com.

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SOURCE T.G.I. Friday's USA

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