Agency News

NEW YORK As expected (Adweek, March 22), Omnicom Group, New York, has acquired Zimmerman & Partners Advertising, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Omnicom unit TBWA/Chiat/Day, Playa del Rey, Calif., will shift its $200 million Nissan dealer account and network of Nissan-dedicated field offices to Zimmerman while retaining the factory accounts of Nissan North America's Nissan and Infiniti divisions. The arrangement will provide Nissan dealers with their own dedicated shop. McCann-Erickson Worldwide unveiled its corporate branding campaign for DuPont. The effort, with the tagline "The miracles of science," touts a 200-year heritage of innovation in areas such as aerospace and pharmaceuticals. The new line replaces "Better things for better living," which DuPont had used since 1935. McCann won the $50 million account in January after a review. As expected (Adweek, March 29), The Interpublic Group of Cos. received approval from Icon Medialab International shareholders to finalize IPG's 20 percent investment in the Swedish Internet consultancy. The deal is expected to close this month. Novartis Consumer Health North America in Summit, N.J., consolidated its network TV buying at Ogilvy & Mather and its syndicated and cable TV buying at Western Initiative Media, both in New York. As a result, Ogilvy picked up $30 million in network buying for Novartis' Gerber Products unit from Western, bringing Ogilvy's total network TV billings for the client to $100 million. Western, in turn, gained $30 million in Novartis billings from Ogilvy. Earle Palmer Brown, New York, uses the music of Bootsy Collins in a new ad for M&M/Mars's Milky Way. Collins recorded Jimi Hendrix's "If Six Was Nine" for "Subway," in which a young man walks through a train, so engrossed in his candy bar that he fails to notice the anxiety-causing distractions in each car. The Economist consolidated its advertising business with Weiss Stagliano & Partners, New York. The agency had previously handled the magazine's corporate advertising while Mad Dogs and Englishmen, also in New York, handled its trade advertising. Driving school chain Top Driver broke a humorous $2 million TV campaign from Dweck, New York. Spots purport to show hidden-camera footage of the shenanigans that go on in other driving schools: An overweight instructor throws doughnuts at an elderly passerby, for instance. "You won't find that happening at Top Driver," a spokesman assures viewers. Last week Toolbox, New York, launched a branding campaign for New York Presbyterian, the hospital of Columbia and Cornell Universities. Four ads, shot by director Alberto Dell 'Orto, emphasize the hospital's history of medical breakthroughs. The spots are filmed in black and white with titles listing the organization's "firsts." The campaign airs on local broadcast, cable and Hispanic channels. Ryan Drossman & Partners, New York, has developed a marketing campaign introducing The TCW Galileo Funds, a new group of mutual funds from The TCW Group. The print ads and sales collateral materials feature images of weight lifters and gymnasts; copy reads, "What do you get when you combine industrial strength with entrepreneurial agility? The power of independent thinking." Billings are undisclosed. New York's GFS/Levinson Group broke a print ad for Tri-State Consumer Insurance in local newspapers and in subway cars last month. The work shows a close-up of a smiling, tackily-dressed man against a blue background. The tagline: "Is the cost of your auto insurance more embarrassing than your driver's license photo?" Bleeker & Sullivan, New York, launched two spots for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Cruelty," an all-text ad urging the New York State legistature to make animal abuse a felony, lists current misdemeanors: fortune-telling, shoplifting gum and bashing a puppy's head in with a bat, with the sounds of a dog's cries of pain in the background. "Canned Hunt" shows a home video by hunters who have paid to shoot tame animals in a fenced-in ranch. The spots ran at the end of April on CBS. Furman Roth, New York, has begun work on print, radio and television ads for online trading company Equitytrading.com. Burkhardt & Hillman, New York, has been awarded the estimated $1 million ad account for Cortina Leathers following a review with undisclosed contenders. Balet & Albert, New York, has begun the trade portion of a print/outdoor campaign for British menswear company Ben Sherman. The agency will break consumer ads in lifestyle and alternative publications in the late summer. NEW JERSEY David Morris Creative has developed an invitation and brochure to promote Chubb Group of Insurance Companies' new online risk management service, RMIS Dimensions. The shop used layered images to convey the depth of information the technology offers. Dugan/Farley Communications, Fort Lee, is working with The Merck Publishing Group to launch the centennial edition of The Merck Manual, the 17th edition of the medical reference book. PFS New Media, Wayne, and Strategic Research Institute have planned an Internet Branding Conference scheduled for June 21-22 at the Marriott Marquis in New York. Dennis Chominsky, president and chief financial officer of PFS, will chair the conference. QLM Marketing in Princeton won a silver Reggie award for its "Log Cabin Syrup Restores America's Log Cabins" program. QLM developed the campaign to build the Log Cabin brand for manufacturer Aurora Foods. PENNSYLVANIA CCP Film Productions, Wayne, received two Philadelphia Gold Awards from ADV Magazine and The Art Directors Club of Philadelphia. CCP's spot for Bally's Hotel & Casino took first place among television commercials/locally; its film, "Matchbox Military," produced for Mattel, took first place in the visual and audio elements category. Strategic partners Marketshift and LevLane, both in Bala Cynwyd, also won two awards at the Philadelphia Gold competition. The agencies' work for Masters of Risk took first place in one of the direct marketing categories; their stationery package for MarketShift placed first among stationery entries. Dimark/Harte-Hanks, Langhorne, has been tapped by Pivot, a company offering life insurance buying services, to create its first direct response television campaign.

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