Hotlines 2: Late-Breaking Industry News

$180 Mil. Restaurant Chain’s Creative Review Down to 2

CHICAGO Two New York agencies will square off this week in a shootout to handle creative duties on Applebee’s $180 million advertising account, sources said. Omnicom’s TBWA\Chiat\Day and IPG’s McCann Erickson will make presentations to executives of the Overland Park, Kan., company, said sources. Media duties, currently at Publicis’ Starcom in Chicago, are not in play. The finalists declined to comment, and Applebee’s did not return calls by press time.



DDB and OMD Retain $40 Mil. N.Y. State Lottery

NEW YORK The New York State Lottery has retained Omnicom’s DDB here as lead agency after a review. Annual media spending is about $40 million. DDB beat three contenders: IPG’s McCann Erickson and DraftFCB and WPP’s Young & Rubicam, said sources. Both creative and media duties were in play and DDB sister shop OMD here kept the media portion. With the exception of a three-year stretch beginning in the late 1990s, DDB has handled the lottery business since 1988. The lottery becomes the third client since March that the New York shop has successfully defended in reviews, after Hertz and Georgia-Pacific.



$170 Mil. Domino’s to Exit JWT; Seeks National Creative Shop

NEW YORK Domino’s Pizza launched a review of national creative duties on its ad account, after it said two weeks ago that it would split with WPP’s JWT. The process will be led by chief marketing officer Don Calwell and Domino’s will not use a consultant, a company representative said. Major media spending on the brand totaled nearly $170 million last year and more than $65 million in the first four months of 2007, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Media duties, now at WPP’s MindShare, and field marketing duties, at JWT in Detroit, are not in play, the rep said.



Saatchi X Taps Sanchez As Global Creative Chief

NEW YORK Carlos Sanchez has been named the first worldwide creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi X, the retail marketing unit of Publicis’ Saatchi & Saatchi, the agency said. Sanchez will report to Andy Murray, Saatchi X worldwide CEO, and will sit on the Saatchi & Saatchi worldwide creative board. The latter is chaired by Bob Isherwood, the agency’s global creative leader.



Toshiba Awards $50 Mil. EMEA Business to Grey

CHICAGO Toshiba has consolidated creative duties on its estimated $50 million European, Middle East and Africa account at WPP’s Grey after a review. The consolidation will cover the company’s consumer products as well as its computer systems division. Grey in London won the business after a review that included the London offices of Publicis’ Saatchi & Saatchi and WPP’s Young & Rubicam.



Nitro Tops 3 Roster Shops To Land Kraft’s Singles

CHICAGO Independent Nitro bested three roster agencies to win the $40 million Kraft’s Singles account, which had been handled by WPP’s JWT in Chicago. The assignment is the first for the New York shop from the Northfield, Ill., client. The contenders were: Omnicom’s DDB, IPG’s DraftFCB and independent agency mcgarrybowen, according to the company. Kraft this spring moved $200 million of business out of JWT, placing several of those brands in review.



Sony Is First Subscriber to Sign With Nielsen GamePlay Metrics

NEW YORK Sony Computer Entertainment America has signed on as the first subscriber to Nielsen’s GamePlay Metrics syndicated service designed to measure videogame usage throughout the U.S. The service debuts July 25. Nielsen is pitching the service as one that will be provide better estimates of the number of videogame players and the number of players exposed to ads.



Chevron Adds Mcgarrybowen To Its Roster of Agencies

NEW YORK Chevron has reached beyond lead global agency Young & Rubicam for its next corporate image campaign, tapping mcgarrybowen here to create it, sources said. The effort will be global and backed by more than $40 million in major media spending, said sources. The work is expected to break in the fall. WPP’s Y&R remains lead agency for Chevron. In a statement, the San Ramon, Calif.-based client confirmed that it had hired the independent shop “on a project basis” and that Y&R was still its “one global agency of record.” The company declined further comment. The new campaign will be directed by Lance Acord of Park Pictures in New York, Park Pictures confirmed. Y&R won global duties on Chevron’s retail product advertising in 2003 and added global corporate image duties a year later.