Priceline Breaks with Hill, Holliday

BOSTON — Priceline.com has confirmed a split with Intrepublic Group’s Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos.

Priceline representative Brian Ek said on Monday the Norwalk, Conn.-based discount travel ticket site has pulled its account in-house, a move that was anticipated, as the company’s recent radio ads (starring pitchman William Shatner and tagged “I think, therefor I save”) were produced by the client itself. [Adweek, Feb. 25]. Hill, Holliday’s New York office worked with Priceline since 1999. Client ad spending has fallen in recent years, down from more than $90 million during the dot-com frenzy of 2000 to $40 million in 2001, per CMR.