Think Wins Piece of Pioneer
LOS ANGELES--Think New Ideas, Hollywood, Calif., and New York, has won Pioneer Audio and Video Systems' home electronics account. Billings are estimated at $4 million, according to Think chief creative officer Larry Kopald. Pioneer's lead agency, BBDO West in Los Angeles, previously handled the business. BBDO remains Pioneer's lead agency.
Bank of America Trims List to 2
NEW YORK--Bank of America has narrowed its search for a new broadcast media buying agency for its $30-40 million account to ICG in Los Angeles and GSD&M in Austin, Texas, sources said. Eliminated from the pitch were Western International Media in Los Angeles and SFM Media and Creative Media, both in New York. Executives from the San Francisco-based bank and its creative and media planning shop, Deutsch, which is helping BofA conduct the review, declined to comment.
Dep Hires Marsak to Run Search
LOS ANGELES--Search consultant Mike Marsak of Effective Marketing Strategies in Marina del Rey, Calif., has been hired to run Dep Corp.'s agency review. Billings on the account are estimated at $6 million and include creative and strategic planning. Media buying will remain at Western International Media. Southern California agencies will be considered, and a decision is expected by the first week in August. Cohen/Johnson in Los Angeles previously handled the business.
Newton Picks San Francisco Boutique
LOS ANGELES--Newton Computers, formerly a division of Apple Computer, has selected Stone Yamashita in San Francisco to handle advertising. The shop was selected without a review. Billings are undetermined.
Dailey May Pair With Lowe for Hilton
LOS ANGELES--Dailey & Associates here is in discussions with Lowe & Partners/SMS in New York about aligning to pitch Hilton Hotel's estimated $50 million global account, sources said. Both Dailey and Lowe are subsidiaries of Interpublic. Dailey, the incumbent on Hilton's U.S. business, needs international capabilities to remain in the pitch. The shop had earlier proposed a pitch with Ammirati Puris Lintas in New York. However, Ammirati declined Dailey's proposal due to a conflict.
Reviews Roundup
Mendelsohn/Zien in Los Angeles, a finalist for the Charles Schwab online trading business, has dropped out of the review. "We had already presented our creative, and then Schwab wanted to go another round," said agency president Richard Zien. "We felt that the answer didn't lie in the project they were asking of us. There wasn't anything more we could do." . . . As expected, Hughes Family Markets in Irwindale, Calif., has mailed letters to more than 40 West Coast agencies regarding its estimated $8-10 million account. [Adweek, July 14]