Verizon Beckons 5 to Pitch for $20-30 Mil. Push

Verizon Communications, the regional telephone giant being formed via the pending
merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE Corp., has put out a call to five of its roster shops for a significant branding and product push scheduled for the fall.
Invited to pitch ideas are Arnold Communications, Boston, The Lord Group, New York, and Burrell Communications, Chicago, all Bell Atlantic shops, and Dallas agencies Ogilvy & Mather and Temerlin McClain, which work for GTE.
Janet Keeler, the client’s svp of brand management and marketing services, confirmed the contenders and said work will consist of both brand-building and product-specific executions.
Chores are likely to be divided among more than one shop, but Keeler emphasized that the entire Verizon account is not in play.
The budget for the fall effort is about $20-30 million, but concepts introduced in that push will likely be incorporated into subsequent campaigns, with total annual spending expected to be about $100-150...