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Shops Emerge in All-Omnicom Shootout for Chrysler's JeepNEW YORK At least three Omnicom agencies beyond lead shop BBDO are believed to be pitching creative ideas for Chrysler's Jeep brand, sources said. They are Downtown Partners in Toronto, Element 79 in Chicago and Cutthroat (the new venture of ex-TBWA\Chiat\Day North America ecd Chuck McBride) in San Francisco. The agencies will present storyboards to the client in two weeks, sources said. The agencies either could not be reached or declined comment, as did an Omnicom representative. Earlier in the week, Jason Vines, vp of communications at Chrysler Group, confirmed that the company was hearing pitches from Omnicom agencies beyond BBDO, saying that Jeep wanted ideas to better target its "expanding customer base" of younger buyers.WPP to Confirm Hiring of Stringham to Run Y&R Brands NEW YORK WPP this week is expected to confirm its hiring of former HSBC global marketing chief Peter Stringham as chairman and CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands, a group that includes Y&R, Wunderman, Burson-Marsteller and Landor Associates, among others. Stringham, 57, fills a vacancy left by the December exit of Ann Fudge and will report to WPP CEO Martin Sorrell. For the past six years, Stringham has worked at HSBC in London and, in 2004, steered a global review of the bank's marketing services business that resulted in the hiring of nine WPP agencies, chief among them JWT. As head of Y&R Brands, Stringham will be charged with increasing collaboration across the units, be it for existing clients or in the pursuit of new business, said sources. On Friday, WPP and Y&R had no comment.Bayer Consolidates Planning, Buying Chores With InitiativeNEW YORK IPG's Initiative has been awarded the consolidated media planning and buying account for Bayer's consumer care division, the client has confirmed. Initiative previously handled media buying for Bayer and now adds planning duties on the account. Other contenders included planning incumbent Omnicom's OMD and WPP's Mediaedge:cia. All pitched from their offices in New York. The Morristown, N.J.-based client, which makes brands such as Aleve, Alka-Seltzer, One-A-Day vitamins and its namesake Bayer Aspirin, hired a pair of consultancies—Jane Twyon and Joanne Davis Consulting, both based in New York—to oversee the process. Bayer spent nearly $400 million on ads in 2006 after spending $375 million in 2005, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Nokia to Brief Shops in March For $120 Mil.+ Phones ReviewNEW YORK Executives from Nokia will brief agencies on March 2 at its Espoo, Finland, headquarters in the global review of its mobile phones account, sources said. At least four agencies returned the RFI, which was due back today. Sources said they include the incumbents on the business in different regions: WPP's Grey (U.S., Europe); Bates (Asia), which will team up with Ogilvy & Mather; and Omnicom's DDB (Latin America). The agencies either could not be reached or referred calls to the client, whose svp of marketing, Jo Harlow, did not return calls. Estimated global spending on the mobile phones business is at least $120 million, sources said. Grey has been on the Nokia roster since 1986.TBWA\C\D N.Y. Reduces Its Head Count by 5 PercentNEW YORK TBWA\Chiat\Day on Friday reduced the staff of its office here by about 5 percent through the elimination of open positions, layoffs and the transfer of staffers to sister units, sources said. The percentage reduction equates to about 18 jobs at an office with a total head count of roughly 350, said sources. The Omnicom agency, which is winding down its tenure on Sprint Nextel, its largest account by revenue, declined to discuss specific numbers but confirmed a head count reduction. "These [cuts] are primarily made up of a reduced number of open positions and employee transfers to other TBWA companies or offices. However, a small number of direct staff reductions are being made," the shop said, in a statement. In January, Sprint launched a review of its creative account, currently split between TBWA\C\D and Publicis' Publicis & Hal Riney in San Francisco. TBWA declined to participate.Finalists for $80 Mil. Heineken Will Present Again in MarchNEW YORK WPP's Berlin Cameron United here and independent Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Ore., will make another round of presentations for Heineken USA in mid-March, sources said. The shops are vying for the estimated $80 million consolidation of Heineken and Heineken Premium Light (handled by Berlin Cameron). Publicis USA was the incumbent on Heineken and Amstel Light, which is also expected to move to the winning agency. Publicis was cut from the process in December. Both agencies made what were to be final presentations on Jan. 16, and a decision was expected that week. But client executives in White Plains, N.Y., and Amsterdam are said be split on which agency to select. Heineken declined to comment. King Rejoins Fallon as Head Of Connection PlanningCHICAGO John King has rejoined Fallon to run the agency's connection planning discipline, the agency has confirmed. King had helped the Publicis agency establish the discipline before leaving to become vp of marketing for stationery company Gartner Studios in July 2005. The agency's former head of connection planning, Michelle Fitzgerald, left the agency last fall to start a boutique agency, Brew, with former Fallon Minneapolis cd Bruce Bildsten.

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