8 Advance in BMW Review

NEW YORK BMW on Monday said it has selected eight shops to compete for creative chores on its North American ad account.

In the running, according to a client representative, are: WPP Group's Berlin Cameron/Red Cell, Publicis Groupe's Publicis and MDC Partners' Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners, all in New York; Omnicom Group's GSD&M in Austin, Texas; Interpublic Group's The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va.; and independents Anomaly in New York, Venables Bell & Partners in San Francisco and Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Ore.

The work in play is worth $70-80 million, according to the initial brief sent to agencies [Adweek Online, Aug. 5]. The automaker spent $150 million on ads last year, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

Chemistry checks will begin the week of Sept. 12, with three or four finalists moving forward. A decision is due by year's end.

BMW and incumbent Fallon, a Publicis Groupe agency in Minneapolis, split in June as the business was put into play. Fallon had handled the account for 10 years.

The client has said it is seeking a bolder creative direction [Adweek, Aug. 8].

Publicis Groupe's Optimedia continues to handle media buying and planning, which are not part of the current review.

Santa Monica, Calif.-based consultancy Select Resources International is overseeing the search process.

—Adweek staff report