Buffalo Wild Wings has parted ways with CMO Seth Freeman after less than two years. 

“Seth departed Buffalo Wild Wings this past month, and we thank him for the great passion he brought to the brand every day and for his leadership over the past two years,” Lyle Tick, president of Buffalo Wild Wings, said in an emailed statement to FSR. “The process for hiring a new CMO has begun, and we will share an update when a selection is made.”

Freeman, who was hired in August 2018, was tasked with leading brand experience, culinary, advertising, and digital efforts. He previously worked for InterContinental Hotels Group where he served as head of global brand and commercial performance for Holiday Inn.

The brand did not state the reason behind Freeman’s departure. 

He was hired six months after Arby’s Restaurant Group merged with Buffalo Wild Wings to form Inspire Brands as part of a nearly $3 billion deal. Since that acquisition, the sports bar chain has moved forward with a turnaround effort led by marketing innovation including a partnership and ad campaign with online fantasy sports site DraftKings for football season, offering customers fitness trackers while they watch college football on New Year’s Day, and BOGO Wing Tuesdays and BOGO Boneless Thursdays.

More recently, Buffalo Wild Wings unveiled plans for BnB-Dubs, a bed and breakfast built inside a Buffalo Wild Wings for select fans to view the NCAA Tournament. The contest was driven by social media platforms Twitter and Instagram, areas where the company has tried to boost its efforts in recent years. However, the promotion was discontinued after the onset of the pandemic and subsequent cancellation of the tournament and mass closure of dining rooms. The year before, Freeman led a campaign called “That’s March Madness” that depicted the benefits of watching the tournament as opposed to the  “irritating experience of watching a game live on your phone with poor service.”