Firms sweat Wrigley sale
ADVERTISING | Energy BBDO, DDB will try to hold accounts after Mars takeover
Management at Energy BBDO/Chicago and DDB/Chicago had to be a little on edge Monday when privately held candy giant Mars announced it intends to acquire Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.
Acquisitions of companies often mean shakeups in marketing departments which, in turn, can lead to shakeups in ad agency relationships. Wrigley lead agency Energy BBDO certainly has the most to lose -- or, if it's lucky, to keep. DDB/Chicago recently came back on the Wrigley roster, too, with global assignments for several Wrigley brands, and like Energy BBDO, it will be closely watching the deal.
(AP)
It's worth noting that high-profile investor Warren Buffett will now have a minority stake in Wrigley. Buffett, who is also an investor in the Geico insurance company, is known to push companies to display an aggressive streak in their marketing efforts. It's entirely possible that, with Buffett's blessing, ad agencies already working for Mars could nab some Wrigley business. They include BBDO/New York, the agency for M&M's, and TBWA/Chiat/Day in New York, which has Snickers candy bar. Mars and TBWA were put on the hot seat a couple years ago when they ran an especially offensive Snickers commercial on the Super Bowl that showed two guys kissing and then professing to be disgusted by the act.
For years, Energy BBDO has functioned as if it were Wrigley's in-house ad agency -- even situated in the Wrigley Building just steps away from the global headquarters. The relationship has remained remarkably solid, even as Energy BBDO President Tonise Paul added new clients to serve as a buffer should Wrigley one day pull a huge chunk of its business from the agency.
Some observers now believe the announcement earlier this month that Energy BBDO Chief Creative Officer Marty Orzio is leaving the agency may be linked to the Wrigley acquisition news. Sources say Orzio's relationship with Wrigley had become somewhat strained. Paul may have decided to time a creative leadership change to coincide with the Mars acquisition. Paul was out of the country, but a source close to Energy BBDO said it was too early to speculate how the Wrigley deal would impact agency assignments.
A nice win for Lou Beres & Associates/Chicago. The Illinois Department of Transportation's Division of Traffic Safety has named LB&A agency of record for its key traffic safety advertising initiatives. LB&A will develop integrated creative campaigns -- including television and radio -- to promote safety belt usage ("Click It or Ticket"), impaired driving ("You Drink & Drive. You Lose") and other potential topics. New work is expected in the Chicago market for the busy Memorial Day weekend. LB&A also will serve as a creative consultant for other projects, including media and events.
No doubt Lou Beres & Associates' depth of experience in creating multimedia campaigns for cause-related topics helped the shop nab the IDOT business. Lou Beres' "Voice For the Uninsured" campaign for the American Medical Association is one of the most recent cause-related campaigns the shop has developed.
Also LB&A Chairman Cathy Beres has previous experience working in state government. She was formerly the executive marketing director for the Illinois Lottery. And Lou Beres Chief Creative Officer Andy Madorsky was the creative director on the Illinois Lottery account at Ogilvy & Mather/Chicago, when Cathy Beres was the lottery's marketing honcho.
The Lifestyles condoms brand is promoting itself by telling young people that sexy and safe sex aren't necessarily incompatible ideas.
The message is being disseminated via a new device called the Lifestyles Make-Out Booth. It's a variation on the fun instant photo booths that used to be found in bus stations and other exotic locales.
But Lifestyles is putting its branded make-out booth in hip nightclubs, where smoochy couples can slip in front of the camera and have their pic taken. When the finished prints are dispensed, a strip of Lifestyles condoms comes with the photos.
