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Staples RFPs Due Back on $60 Mil. Broadcast Creative CHICAGO RFPs are due this week in the review for Staples' $60 million broadcast creative account, sources said. Among those expected to return the document, sources said, are: WPP's J. Walter Thompson in New York; Publicis' Fallon in New York; IPG's Deutsch in New York and Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos in Boston; Grey in New York; Omnicom's TBWA\Chiat\Day and Merkley + Partners, both in New York; and Havas' Arnold in Boston. Independent McCarthy Mambro Bertino in Boston and Publicis' Saatchi & Saatchi in New York received the form but opted not to pursue the business, sources said. The company, based in Framingham, Mass., is looking for an agency close to home, having parted with Omnicom's Martin/ Williams in Minneapolis in part over that issue, sources said. Select Resources International in Santa Monica, Calif., is handling. Young & Rubicam Wins Toys R Us' $120 Mil. AccountNEW YORK WPP's Young & Rubicam on Friday won creative duties for Toys R Us' estimated $120 million account, the client confirmed. The New York shop beat out incumbent Publicis' Leo Burnett, Omnicom's DDB, both in Chicago, and IPG's Foote Cone & Belding in New York. Y&R pitched a "large idea" that can be executed across multiple disciplines, said agency worldwide creative director Michael Patti. The finalists worked from a brief that focused on how to drive traffic during the holiday season, when the Wayne, N.J., client makes 60 percent of its sales, sources said. Shops were also asked for a five-year brand and business plan for Toys R Us. Client chief marketing officer Warren Kornblum cited Y&R's "strong insight" into the mothers-and-children target and its ability to deliver ideas beyond traditional ads. "It's really a vertical integrated approach," he said. Media Fund Picks Axelrod As General-Market Shop WASHINGTON Democratic interest group The Media Fund is no longer seeking a general-market agency, having tapped Chicago-based Axelrod & Associates, which recently worked on the presidential campaign of Sen. John Edwards. The group had been talking to shops such as Berlin Cameron/Red Cell in New York and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco, but those discussions are over, said a Media Fund rep. Samsung Briefs Shops in $400 Mil. Global ReviewNEW YORK Samsung executives visited New York last week to brief agencies on the company's $400 million global account, sources said. The incumbent, IPG's Foote Cone & Belding, is defending. Publicis shops Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi are working as a team, as are WPP's J. Walter Thompson and Red Cell. Omnicom's BBDO is also in the hunt. The first round of presentations is set for mid-to-late June, sources said. A decision date has not been determined. Decision Looms in $600 Mil. HSBC ReviewNEW YORK Three weeks after final pitches, agency teams from IPG, WPP and Omnicom are anticipating a decision this week in HSBC Group's $600 million global marketing-services review, despite word from a client rep on Thursday that a winner would not be picked until mid-May or June. The London-based bank had hoped to consolidate the business under one holding company but may use agencies from more than one, sources said. IPG's team was led by Lowe, WPP's by J. Walter Thompson, and Omnicom's by BBDO. Celebrities Mug for Panasonic Products in $50 Mil. CampaignNEW YORK Panasonic pairs products and celebrities in a $50 million campaign that breaks this week. TV ads in the "Fascinating people, fascinating products" effort star hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, who uses a D-snap SD camera, and artist William Wegman, who uses his DVD recorder to capture footage of his famous Weimaraner dogs. The 2-year- old tag, "Ideas for life," continues. Actor Christian Slater again provides the voiceover. The ads, by Grey in New York, will air during high-profile season finales such as American Idol and on national cable. A new flight of ads will air in the fall and feature different celebrities. Hearing Delayed in Former Ogilvy Execs' Fraud CaseWASHINGTON A pretrial hearing in the case of two former Ogilvy & Mather executives accused of falsifying time sheets in an alleged scheme to defraud the federal government has been postponed until May 17. Thomas Early and Shona Seifert are charged with fraudulently inflating the number of hours that Ogilvy employees had devoted to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's anti-drug media campaign. They were due in court Friday for the hearing. Both have pleaded not guilty. A judge has set a trial date of Sept. 7 in the case. IPG Q1 Loss Is $17 Million; Grey Net Income Up 24% NEW YORK IPG registered a loss of nearly $17 million, or 5 cents a share, in the first quarter, more than double the loss of first-quarter 2003. Revenue increased 6 percent to $1.4 billion; on a constant-currency basis, it grew less than 1 percent. Grey Global Group said its first-quarter net income rose about 24 percent to $6.3 million. Diluted earnings per share grew 44 percent to $4.64. Revenue climbed 16 percent to $344 million; on a constant-currency basis, revenue grew 6.8 percent. New Coke CEO Isdell, McCann Erickson Share Marketing PastNEW YORK E. Neville Isdell, who last week was named chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Co., has worked most closely with IPG's McCann Erickson during his long overseas career at the company, sources said. Isdell, 60, succeeds Doug Daft next month; his appointment may mean the departure of worldwide president and COO Steve Heyer, who had been Daft's heir apparent. Heyer was responsible for the decision, in February 2003, to hand lead creative duties on Coke Classic to WPP's Berlin Cameron/ Red Cell. "Neville is a very independent-minded person," one source said. "He'll do what he thinks is right, come hell or high water." A Coke rep declined comment.

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