Not Many Qualify for Tobacco Review

Conflicts, Size Limit Contenders; Asher Still Searching for Way In
WASHINGTON, D.C.–As shops with direct links to tobacco companies cannot bid on the first public education contract from the national anti-tobacco foundation, only a narrow field of contenders appears to be eligible for the $150-225 million assignment .
A bidders conference to discuss the project is set for June 30. Only shops with more than $500 million in billings will be allowed to pitch; the account must also equal less than 25 percent of the winning shop’s total business.
Given those parameters, the qualifiers include Arnold Communications, D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Deutsch, DDB Worldwide, Publicis & Hal Riney and Temerlin McClain, sources said.
Some of the nation’s largest shops excluded themselves from the hunt, noting that existing ties to subsidiaries of the tobacco giants would put them at a disadvantage–both with their clients and the selection committee.