Newswire

IBM Jams at Sessions54.com NEW YORK--Ogilvy & Mather on Nov. 1 will launch a four-spot campaign for IBM that will promote a Web site for the PBS music series Sessions at 54th St. (www.- sessions54.com). The site is part of the IBM e-commerce solutions network of dot.coms. The ads feature a GenXer groupie snooping around Ziggy Marley's recording studio, Willie Nelson's tour bus, Henry Rollins' shower and Sheryl Crow's dressing room. "We're going for an eavesdropping documentary feel here," said Dan Burrier, the senior producer/creative director on the campaign. Vigilante Bows Urban Think Tank NEW YORK--Leo Burnett's urban marketing agency, Vigilante, has launched Urban Think Tank. Headed by Stephanie Martin and Tamara Ghandour, the unit comprises the New York shop's research and strategy division and will provide consulting services to its own clients. Vigilante principals Marc Strachan and Danny Robinson this year added clients Major League Baseball, Sprint and Maytag, bringing the agency's billings to $30 million. Unilever Swaps Some Brands NEW YORK--Unilever is handing the ad account for Surf to Ammirati Puris Lintas, according to sources. The account was at Ogilvy & Mather here. The client also switched assignments for the detergent All, from APL, with billings last year of $21 million, to J. Walter Thompson in New York. In exchange, JWT will pass Wisk on to APL. Last year, spending on Wisk was $19 million. Cliff Freeman Gets His Independence NEW YORK--Cliff Freeman and Partners and Saatchi & Saatchi have split after a 12-year relationship. While Cliff Freeman had been in negotiations to sell to Arnold Communications earlier this year [Adweek, March 29], those talks have since broken down, sources said. The subsidiary's move to independence is an anomaly in an industry that has embraced consolidation in recent years. Saatchi opened Cliff Freeman in 1987 to resolve internal client conflicts and handed the nascent agency the Little Caesars pizza business. Since then, the agency has become a darling of the creative award circuit and grown into a $285 million shop. Principal Cliff Freeman said all of the agency's clients are on board with the move. They include Staples, Coca-Cola, Hollywood Video and Fox Sports. FCB Names New Creative Leadership in N.Y. NEW YORK--FCB Worldwide here has appointed Sam Gulisano, 49, and Rich Russo, 42, as co-executive creative directors, replacing Ted Littleford, who left. The moves, which were expected, come as FCB is bracing for cuts in New York that could extend to other parts of the FCB network amid a restructuring following FCB's merger with sister shop Bozell Worldwide [Adweek, Oct. 18]. Bronnercom Adds Purchase Pro BOSTON--Bronnercom has added Marschall Smith as chief counsel and senior vice president of business development, charged with helping the relationship marketing giant make acquisitions and strategic alliances with other marketing companies in the U.S. and abroad. Smith had been with petrochemical conglomerate IMC Global, Chicago, where he engineered nearly $2 billion in acquisitions for the publicly traded company. Liveprint.com Narrows to 3 ATLANTA--Liveprint.com has three finalists for its $20-30 million review, sources said. New York shops Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners and DiMassimo Brand Advertising will square off against the McLean, Va., office of Arnold Communications for the online graphic design services account. Simmons to Hear Pitches From 2 Shops ATLANTA--Simmons Beautyrest Mattresses hears pitches this week from two agencies vying to replace WestWayne here, which resigned the account. BBDO South here and The Martin Agency of Richmond, Va., are seeking the mattress maker's $6 million account, sources say. A winner is expected to be named by Nov. 1. Client and incumbent are both based here. Smuckers Seeks New Agency CHICAGO--The J.M. Smucker Co. is in the early stages of an agency review after parting ways with Leo Burnett here, company officials said. The Orrville, Ohio, company and the agency "amicably" parted ways earlier this week, said client representative Brenda Dempsey. The company is contacting contenders. Spending was estimated to be $10-15 million. 'Adweek' Calls for Year's Best TV Spots NEW YORK--Adweek is accepting entries for the best domestic TV commercials of 1999. The winners, selected by Adweek editors, will be announced Jan. 24, 2000. Only spots that first aired in 1999 are eligible. The deadline for entries is Dec. 23. For more information, please call (212) 536-6453. Newswire Roundup Wendy Riches, formerly president of global direct marketing and e-commerce for Hasbro, has joined D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles in the newly created position of president, D'Arcy Marketing Communications Group, effective Nov. 8 Concentric Network Corp., a provider of e-business solutions for small and medium-sized companies, has selected Gardner, Geary, Coll & Young as its ad agency following a review of undisclosed Bay Area shops. Billings are projected at $50 million Black Rocket, San Francisco, has been awarded the $15-20 million account for OurHouse.com, a home improvement e-tailer backed by Ace Hardware, after an informal national search. The Evanston, Ill.-based Web company will launch its site in November, with ads scheduled to break in December ApplianceOrder.com is down to three finalists in its $20 million review. Contenders are Egan/St. James, Pittsburgh; The Richards Group, Dallas; and GSD&M, Austin, Texas. The Austin-based client sells large appliances over the Internet

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