A couple of tips came in this late afternoon telling us that W+K’s six-year relationship with Target has come to an end. Our pals at the Denver Egotist tell us that sources at Target are saying it’s so, though we’ve yet to hear what’s happening from Wieden’s end. Well, if it is the case, at least we’ll always Maria Bramford haunting our dreams.
Update: Well, it indeed looks like Target followed the lead of a fellow retailer and dropped its long-time agency according to AdAge.
Update 2: Here are statements from both camps:
Target:
“Target is proud of what we accomplished with the Wieden+Kennedy team during our six-year partnership. Looking forward, we are focused on continuing to identify fresh and innovative ways to tell Target’s brand story, and will leverage both our internal expertise and our strong roster of agency partners to help accomplish our marketing goals in 2012 and beyond,” says Shawn Gensch, vice president of marketing and head of partner management, Target.
Wieden and Kennedy:
“It is never easy to part ways with a client,” says Tom Blessington, managing director of W+K Portland. “We are proud of our six year history with Target and wish them the best. It was a great creative opportunity to work with such an iconic brand, said Susan Hoffman executive creative director of W+K Portland. We love the pace and the dynamics of working in the retail space.”