The Interpublic Group of Cos. is looking to retool its Zentropy Partners, sources said. With the dot-com boom on the wane, Cambridge, Mass.-based Zentropy, an amalgamation of various IPG interactive companies, has of late been unable to win or retain substantial business and has quietly let some staffers go, sources said. Bruce Nelson, recently hired from Young & Rubicam and named to the newly created position of executive vice president and chief marketing officer, is charged with helping to steer the development of IPG units network-wide, and will work in that capacity with Zentropy. Aligning Zentropy with one of IPG's operating divisions, most likely the Allied Services Group, also in Cambridge, is being considered, sources said. John Connors III, Zentropy's chief executive, did not return calls. One source said staffing at Zentropy headquarters may have been halved from a peek of about 150 a few months ago. Zentropy launched in December with 500 employees and $50 million in revenue from 11 offices in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
A HealthGate Close to Naming Lehman Millet
BOSTON—HealthGate Data Corp., which provides health and medical information online, is expected to name Lehman Millet for its advertising account following a review, sources said. Officials with Boston-based Lehman Millet declined to comment. A HealthGate spokesperson said Friday that "no [agency] announcements have been made." Spending may be as high as $8-10 million. Lehman Millet recently picked up an estimated $10 million national business-to-business assignment from contact lens company Essilor of America [Adweek, Sept. 25].
ABOSTON—Verizon Wireless units, which recently launched separate reviews for regional retail assignments, likely will not conclude those searches until "January, at least," said Jim Gerace, a representative with the client in Bedminster, N.J. He cited the reticence of regional managers to change agencies as the busy holiday season approaches. Bozell, New York, handles the $50 million Northeast retail account, which includes much of greater New York and New England.
ABOSTON—Faced with a growing list of client requests for product launch input, Midior Design was launched as an offshoot of Midior Consulting. The "naissance of the design practice area started with our consulting clients," said Nora Gildea, practice manager at Midior Design. The four-person, Cambridge, Mass., company's areas of focus will be design and marketing communications ... Duffy & Shanley of Providence, R.I., upended a trio of better-known competitors for the $2-3 million ad account of Into Networks. Duffy & Shanley overcame Mullen, Wenham, Mass., FCB Digital of Chicago and K2 Design, New York. Pile and Co., Boston, oversaw the pitch process. Formed in 1996, Into Networks of Cambridge, Mass., delivers streaming software over broadband networks, allowing users instant access to CD-ROM applications and other interactive media without having to install titles on the PC.