CHICAGO Deere & Co. is in the early stages of a review of its estimated $45 million media buying account, a company representative confirmed.
Interpublic Group's Initiative handles buying for Deere's Cary, N.C.-based commercial and consumer equipment division, which handles the lawn tractors aimed at consumers.
Creative and media planning have been at IPG's Foote Cone & Belding in Chicago since September 1998. That business is not part of the review, the Deere rep said.
Jones Lundin Beals in Chicago is doing preliminary work for the review, sources said. The consultancy referred calls to the client; the Deere rep could not confirm JLB's involvement.
"It's all part of reviews we do as part of due diligence," said Bill Klutho at Deere. "It's just in a very early stage."
Deere spent an estimated $40 million on media last year, $45 million in 2002, according to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR.