DALLAS The Richards Group has picked up the $10 million creative and media account of convenience store chain Wawa, the agency confirmed.
The Dallas agency contended in the finals of a review against Eisner Communications in Baltimore, MARC in Pittsburgh and incumbent media agency MayoSeitz Media in Blue Bell, Pa.
When it launched the review in October, Wawa was primarily looking for agencies in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. Richards was able to use its New York office, which serves as a satellite outlet for Hyundai, to pitch the business. “It was important that we had an account executive available,” shop principal Brad Todd said. “Whether or not that becomes a service office for this account is to be determined.”
Select Resources International in Santa Monica, Calif., conducted the agency search.
The creative incumbent, Ritter Inc. in King of Prussia, Pa., did not participate in the review, according to SRI.
Wawa is a privately held company that has 540 Wawa Food Markets throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Approximately 140 of those stores also sell Wawa-branded gasoline.
Richards also handles the account of QuikTrip convenience stores, but Todd said the two clients do not conflict because they have different footprints. QuikTrip operates primarily in central and Southern states.
The Wawa, Pa.-based chain spent nearly $7 million on ads in 2002 and about $4 million through October 2003, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
This item updates a previously posted story.
Richards Wins $10 Mil. Wawa Account
