NEW YORK Waterford Wedgwood USA, fresh off the completion of a review for Waterford Crystal, is reviewing creative and media duties on its Wedgwood brand of china, glassware and flatware.
The Wall, N.J.-based client has contacted about 10 shops, issuing a questionnaire that's due back this week, according to Alan Krinsky, of Alan Krinsky Associates, the New York consultancy managing the search.
Based on submissions, client executives will select six to eight agencies to visit before naming a handful of finalists, Krinsky said. A decision is expected in January.
He declined to discuss billings, but sources estimated them at about $5 million.
Michael Craig, svp, sales and marketing at Waterford Wedgwood USA, is among a half-dozen key decision makers in the review. Craig could not be reached for comment.
Major media spending on the brand, which includes lines designed by Vera Wang, Martha Stewart, Jasper Conran and Barbara Barry, has been relatively modest in recent years. Last year, the total was around $1.7 million, up incrementally from $1.6 million in 2006, according to TNS Media Intelligence. The total spend in the first half of 2008 was approximately $1 million, per TNS.
The incumbent on the business, independent Chillingworth/Radding in New York, is not defending.
Going forward, Wedgwood's efforts are expected to span traditional advertising, direct marketing, public relations and some guerrilla marketing, said Krinsky, who also managed the Waterford review.
Last month, Cossette Communications Group's Cossette here landed the estimated $5 million Waterford account [1], besting three other New York shops: MDC Partners' Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners and independents AgencySacks and ML Rogers.
Links:
[1] http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/account-activity/e3i6ebab920204c7b19ea7154f365486fe7