- Gregory Solman

LOS ANGELES Omnicom Group's GSD&M Idea City said it has successfully defended its U.S. Air Force business following a review.

The contract runs for 10 years and is valued at more than $370 million over that span, the agency said. (The USAF spent $30 million last year in measured media, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.)

Austin, Texas-based GSD&M initially won a seven-year contract with the USAF in 2001.

In the recently concluded review, the shop partnered with Omnicom sibling USMP, Marina del Rey, Calif., for the event-marketing portion of the pitch.
 
"There is no greater purpose than defending America," said Roy Spence, GSD&M's chairman and CEO, in a statement. "We are proud of the relationship we've built with the Air Force and the work we've done on their behalf. And we're honored that they have entrusted us with marketing their mission and purpose during a critical future for our country."
 
According to sources, the other finalist was Interpublic Group's DraftFCB in New York.
 
Neither the client nor the agency could be immediately reached for comment. The review began last year.
 
GSD&M in February broke new work for the client that emphasized the service branch's cutting-edge technological prowess. Those ads introduced the tagline "Above all." The push used Web-page takeovers that simulated viral blackouts to tout the USAF's cyber-command careers.

Lee Pitz, vp, account director, said, "The new approach is still about recruiting, but contains a bigger message for a broader audience: the Air Force has a great story to tell."