BOSTON Independent Cramer-Krasselt said it has added Rayovac batteries and flashlights to its client roster.
C-K's Milwaukee office will handle the business, which includes creative and media chores covering broadcast, interactive and print campaigns.
Rayovac, which competes against higher-profile brands like Duracell and Energizer, was seeking an agency with expertise in handling challenger brands, and C-K's work for Corona and Rozerem was a key factor in its selection, said Kelly Stelzer, client director of marketing.
C-K's first work for the client will tout the brand's tie-in with Disney's upcoming film Bolt and breaks in November.
"We believe there is a unique opportunity for Rayovac to shift the conversation about batteries from pink bunnies [Energizer's longtime mascot] to pragmatism," said Betsy Brown, evp, general manager at C-K. To that end, the work will stress that Rayovac sells comparable batteries at generally lower prices than the competition.
The agency pegged annual media spending in the $20 million range. That would be a considerable advance for the brand, which last year spent less than $1 million on ads and about $500,000 for the first half of 2008, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
Rayovac, based in Madison, Wis., is a unit of Spectrum Brands. Its share of the battery market is about 13 percent.
The client's most recent work, crafted late last year, was fashioned by Hanon McKendry in Grand Rapids, Mich.
