Advertising Roundup: BBDO, Altoids to Split? Fallon Wins Boston Market; USAA Taps C-E; Nationwide in Review
BBDO on thin ice with Altoids -- Sources said the agency is on very thin ice with high-profile client Altoids, which Wrigley placed at Energy BDDO after yanking the prize breath mints account from Leo Burnett/Chicago and briefly assigning it to a West Coast agency. [Source: Sun-Times]
Fallon named agency for Boston Market -- Fallon was awarded the marketing account, estimated to be worth $30 million, after a pitch against several agencies including Omnicom Group's Zimmerman and independent Marc USA. Denver-based agency CCT was the incumbent shop for creative work. [Source: Ad Age]
InVentiv Health shares fell as much as 13% Tuesday -- An analyst at Jefferies & Co. Inc. said the company could have a hard time meeting Wall Street's earnings expectations for 2009 as pharmaceutical and health-care customers slash spending. [Source: WSJ]
USAA taps Campbell-Ewald -- The Interpublic Group agency to handle creative and media chores on its ad business following a review. USAA typically spends $15 million annually on ads. [Source: Adweek]
Chrysler CMO Deborah Wahl exits -- As Chrysler heads into a month-long plant shutdown, the automaker has announced a realignment of its sales and marketing operations. After 18 months on the job, Chrysler CMO Deborah Meyer is stepping down from her post, effective immediately. The short-lived chief marketing position is being eliminated altogether. [Source: Brandweek]
Utah considers cuts to its tourism ad budget -- "I think what will happen is we'll have to spend the money even smarter than we have in the past," said Kim McClelland, chairman of the Utah Board of Tourism. [Source: Salt Lake Tribune]
Pepsi moves China business to Tribal DDB -- PepsiCo has moved the digital creative business for its beverage brands in China, including Pepsi, 7Up, Miranda, Mountain Dew, Tropicana and Gatorade, to Tribal DDB Worldwide, the digital marketing arm of Omnicom Group's DDB Group. [Source: Ad Age]
Noxzema goes to Wieden -- Alberto-Culver has selected the New York office of Wieden + Kennedy to handle creative duties on its Noxzema brand after a review, sources said. [Source: Brandweek]
Nationwide in review -- Nationwide Insurance will conduct parallel reviews for its creative and media accounts, with the goal of selecting an agency for each by mid-March, according to the consultancy managing the process. The creative and media incumbents -- Interpublic Group's TM Advertising in Dallas and IPG's Universal McCann in New York -- have been invited to participate. Nationwide spends nearly $185 million in major measured media. [Source: Adweek]