BOSTON-Heater Advertising, one of the region's premier creative resources, last week lost its national assignment from Reebok International and faces a possible review for Priceline.com.
The Boston boutique was dropped by Reebok, which last week unveiled a TV campaign created by Berlin Cameron & Partners in New York. Tagged "Are you feeling it?" the ads tout Reebok's DMX sneaker and feature tennis star Venus Williams, fitness trainer Lisa Wheeler and runners Amy Rudolph and Martin Fiz.
"We have to have one voice now," said Angel Martinez, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at the Stoughton, Mass.-based sneaker maker. "We had too many agencies around the world, and it's been frustrating for me to see the various marketing machinations of our brand. It's confused consumers."
Reebok continues to work with Bartle Bogle Hegarty in New York for the Classic line, London's Lowe Howard Spink for soccer in Europe and Grey Advertising in New York for media chores, Martinez said.
Priceline.com., a Stamford, Conn.-based firm that enables customers to purchase airline tickets and hotel rooms online, has held meetings with at least two New York shops, sources said. The client is apparently looking to "significantly expand its ad budget" of $12 million, sources said.
"They're trying to figure out what kind of agency relationship they want," said Jennie Smith Wilson, Heater's director of account management. "We do continue to work with them."
Heater claimed $58 million in billings for 1998, a drop of 14 percent from the previous year.
-with Hank Kim