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A King Group Wins Texas Lottery Review DALLAS-The King Group, an African American marketing specialist, has won the estimated $6-8 million minority account of the Texas Lottery. The Dallas shop teamed with Hispanic agency Dieste & Partners and research firm Rincon and Associates, both of Dallas, to win against finalist Inventiva in San Antonio. The announcement last Friday marked the first time the state agency had named a separate agency to handle its minority marketing efforts. "We're excited, of course; we see this as both a great opportunity and also a major responsibility," said agency principal Johnnie King. "We have all the expertise on our team that we need to get the job done for the state of Texas." The assignment will double the The King Group's $6 million in billings. Its other major clients include Kroger Food Stores, Southwest Airlines, Blockbuster Entertainment and Sally Beauty Supply. ____________________________________________________ A Labatt's Promo Account Leaves Dallas DALLAS-The Marketing Continuum failed last week to retain the estimated $10 million promotional business of Labatt USA. The account was assigned to DVC in Morristown, N.J. David Mullen, president of The Marketing Continuum in Dallas, said a strong commitment from new parent company Hawkeye would help the agency weather the loss of a client representing one-third of its billings. No layoffs are imminent, he said. "Something like this is always tough, but we've been poised to grow," Mullen said. "It was time for a change. [Labatt] has quadrupled in size. We've quadrupled in size. You get to a point where you start assessing whether it's an excellent fit." ____________________________________________________ A Maverick, Ariat Boots Go Separate Ways DALLAS-Maverick Advertising & Public Relations has parted ways with longtime client Ariat Boots, citing personnel and strategic direction changes within the client's marketing department. The Fort Worth, Texas, agency helped Ariat grow from a startup operation into the world's third-largest bootmaker over the course of six years. The client is based in San Carlos, Calif. ____________________________________________________ A ImproveNet Designates Pair of Finalists CHICAGO-Remaining in contention for ImproveNet's $20 million ad business are Campbell-Ewald in Warren, Mich., and Marc Advertising in Pittsburgh. USWeb/CKS in Cupertino, Calif., pitching with McKinney & Silver of Raleigh, N.C., and Cramer-Krasselt in Chicago were cut from the review. BBDO West in San Francisco and Leo Burnett of Chicago withdrew. The home remodeling and improvement online service is located in Redwood City, Calif. The review is being conducted by Select Resources International of Los Angeles. Incumbent Left Field of San Francisco did not participate in the review. ____________________________________________________ A Office Depot Rejoins Gold Coast Advertising ATLANTA-Office Depot confirmed Friday it will return its $60 million account to longtime agency Gold Coast Advertising [Adweek, Nov. 8]. Since leaving the Miami shop in 1996, the Del Ray, Fla., client has used three agencies, the latest being New York's DeVito/Verdi. "No advertising agency better understands Office Depot," said client public relations director Gary Schweikhart

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