NEW YORK Interpublic Group's Initiative has been awarded luggage maker Samsonite's estimated $30 million global media planning and buying account after a review.
Initiative prevailed in a review that also included WPP Group's Mediaedge:cia and Omnicom Group's OMD.
A new global creative campaign being developed by Omnicom's TBWA will launch later this year. Samsonite will work closely with Initiative to develop on-going tactical marketing strategies and nontraditional media solutions.
A multinational team, led out of Brussels, Belgium, will begin work immediately across 17 markets in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Canada and the U.S. through four key regional centers: Brussels, New York, Hong Kong and India. European activity will be split between Initiative and BrandConnection, part of the Initiative group, according to market and client needs.
In its annual report, Samsonite reported spending $14.9 million on advertising last year. In the U.S., it spent $5 million in measured media in 2004, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.