Booting up: IBM PC spinoff starts review scramble By Michael McCarth

IBM's wild rollerrcoaster ride flattened another agency last weeks, it could provide thrills to a shop with breakthrough creative. The announcem

Incumbent Lintas:Worldwide has vowed to fight mightily to keep the account, but it will be an uphill battle. A number of so-called global agencies in the U.S. and Europe have been putting out feelers to the division for several months and a review was considered a matter of time (ADWEEK, Jan. 25).
However, while it might seem obvious for the PC unit to look for a global agency, sources at the client signaled it might tap a small, creative hot shop and form a dual-agency setup–one to manage the creative message in the U.S. and another to fashion a global campaign for overseas interests.
An IBM PC spokesperson said last week that the review is for creative only and that Lintas will remain AOR for media buying in both regions. Lintas, which splits the account in Europe with GGK, will participate in the review which will wrap up by early September. The spokesperson added that the PC firm is not putting any limits on the types or sizes of agencies it will consider: “We are looking for adver- tising that will create excitement.”
C. Ray Freeman, the former Lord, Geller, Federico, Einstein/ N.Y. adman, is overseeing the review in his role as vp/communications for the world’s largest PC company. Sources note that friction between former coworkers Freeman and Lintas cd Kevin O’Neill–who worked together on IBM at LGFE–leaves Lintas with only a slim chance of hanging on to the account. “Lintas started to lose this account the day Ray Freeman walked back in the door at IBM,” said the source. Freeman will reportedly look hard at small to midsized hot shops to try and ape the success of LGFEF’s “Little Tramp” work in the mid1980s.
Copyright Adweek L.P. (1993)