CHICAGO–United’s international media buying account will stay within the Publicis family and is likely to wind up at Starcom MediaVest Group’s StarLink unit, according to sources familiar with the account.
The air carrier is said to be looking for an agency closer to its Elk Grove Village, Ill., headquarters. StarLink, which was set up to bring Starcom’s proprietary knowledge and media-buying heft, to small and mid-sized agencies, is based in Chicago. Executives from Fallon, which handles United’s worldwide creative and domestic media planning and buying, have been asked to find the best solution for United’s international account within the Publicis family, sources said. Other possibilities include MediaVest Worldwide and Optimedia, though neither of those is close to United’s headquarters.
Starcom Worldwide handles global media duties for Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines. It was unclear whether having United’s media business at StarLink would affect that relationship. A Delta representative said the airline had no comment on the possibility of the move, but said executives were pleased with the way their account has been handled at Starcom.
Zenith Media will continue to handle United’s international media buying through the end of the year, sources said. One source said the split was over performance issues, though others said concerns over United’s ability to make good on media debts led to the split. United has threatened to file for bankruptcy protection if it cannot secure a $1.8 billion government-backed loan by Dec. 2.
StarLink, Starcom and United officials could not be reached.
United spent nearly $60 million on domestic advertising last year, down from nearly $80 million in 2000. When the global account was consolidated with Fallon and Zenith in 2001, it was valued at $100 million.
United International Media Buying to Stay With Publicis Groupe
