Nortel to Split Account

By Joan Voight and Steve Krajewski





SAN FRANCISCO–Telephone and computer network provider Nortel plans to splinter its main, $8-10 million advertising account into four assignments, with the possibility that some or all of them could be placed in review, sources said.





J. Walter Thompson’s San Francisco office oversees the main account and has not decided if it wants to pursue any of the unbundled assignments, said sources.





Temerlin McClain in Irving, Texas, which handles the account for the Nortel Enterprise Networks division, has been involved in discussions about the reorganization plans and is likely to be part of any upcoming reviews, according to sources.





Executives at JWT declined to comment on the reorganization.





Temerlin McClain president Dennis McClain declined to discuss whether his agency met formally with other Nortel divisions but said, ‘We really enjoy our relationship with Enterprise Networks.