NEW YORK Dyson Group, which makes high-end, stylized vacuum cleaners for the home, has confirmed contacting agencies about its U.S. advertising account.
Publicis Groupe's Fallon in Minneapolis has handled the account since 2002, which it won after a review. Fallon and Dyson representatives characterized the split as a "mutual decision."
Dyson spent $50 million in U.S. media in 2004, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
The U.K.-based client has its U.S. headquarters in Chicago, and marketing executive Jeff Hyman is managing the process, according to sources. Hyman began calling shops last week seeking credentials submissions.
Sources said contacted shops include WPP Group's Berlin Cameron/Red Cell and JWT, both in New York; IPG's Gotham in New York and The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va.; Omnicom's Merkley + Partners in New York and TBWA\Chiat\Day in Playa del Rey, Calif.; MDC Partners' Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Miami; and independent Cramer-Krasselt in Chicago.
VCCP in London creates ads for the client overseas.
Hyman was not immediately available for comment. A company representative said the search would be conducted by an in-house team of executives based in Chicago and the U.K.
Ads from Fallon have featured company founder James Dyson discussing his inspiration for inventing the world's first vacuum that "doesn't lose suction."
This story updates an item posted on June 3 with a list of contacted shops.