A spokesperson for the Toys R Us organization confirmed today that BBDO has followed its recent loss of the Bud Light business to W+K by winning ad duties for both the parent chain and its Babies R Us brand.
Toys R Us did not provide us with specifics beyond confirming the relationship, but we know that the organization did not announce a formal review. We also have reason to believe that BBDO did not pitch against other agencies, that the account will be run out of its New York office (the client is based in Wayne, N.J.), that the agency’s past work with such retail brands as CVS and Foot Locker contributed to the win, and that the first campaign will launch right around the start of the 2015 holiday season.
This is not the first time the larger BBDO organization has worked with Toys R Us: in 2007, for example, Contrapunto BBDO Madrid created a well-wrapped, larger-than-life dinosaur to increase awareness of local shops’ openings.
Most of the chain’s recent campaigns have been created by Chicago’s The Escape Pod, including this one from April featuring YouTube star “Action Movie Kid” and this one, involving “prankvertising” on a school bus, from 2013. In the past, Toys R Us has worked with Leo Burnett Chicago and others; OMD currently handles its media business, which is not up for review.
BBDO did not respond to queries regarding the win, and Toys R Us did not comment on whether it plans to continue working with The Escape Pod.