We hear that the battle is over and that Deutsch LA is in final negotiations regarding the Sprint account, though nothing is official at this moment.
Multiple sources told us over the past few weeks that the final two agencies were Arnold and Deutsch, and this morning Arnold sent an internal memo to staff confirming that it had not won the business.
We knew as early as October via multiple tipsters that the group of five agencies competing for the business had narrowed to two and that the final round of the review would pit Deutsch CCO Pete Favat against Arnold global president Pam Hamlin, with whom he worked closely during his 13 years at the latter agency.
Sprint never confirmed any of this, though its new CEO/president Maurcelo Claure didn’t hesitate to tell all interested media outlets that the company would cancel its “Framily” plan in the interest of increasingly “simple” and “aggressive” messaging.
If true, this would be the latest, biggest win for Deutsch’s West Coast team, which won Pizza Hut over the summer before the company announced its new, Sriracha-flavored identity. Deutsch has also made multiple staffing changes in recent months, hiring ECDs from W+K as well as a new CTO.
Internal memo from Hamlin after the jump.
Subject: Sprint
Hello Everyone,
I’m sorry to report that we did not win Sprint.
We’re still waiting for complete feedback about the decision but we know they are planning to move in another direction.
While the news is incredibly disappointing, there is a lot to feel proud about.
First, in the early rounds of this review we knocked out some of the best agencies in the world, fighting for one of the biggest accounts of the year.
Second, the work and thinking was outstanding – a product of a highly talented and competitive team.
Finally, it was truly inspiring to see how, as an entire agency, we ALL showed an amazing level of energy and determination. The halls radiated with it. It was an incredible effort.
Only the best agencies in the country are invited to compete at this level.
We are one of those agencies.
Thank you to everyone. I know this was a marathon. There is a lot of good to carry forward from the race.
-Pam