US Navy Reenlists VMLY&R as Agency of Record

VMLY&R is poised to continue serving as the U.S. Navy agency of record, assuming it can navigate the sometimes choppy waters of the bid protest period. The U.S. Navy awarded the WPP agency a five-year contract worth over $455 million, following a review initiated last April. If the decision is not contested, VMLY&R will continue leading marketing and advertising, supporting recruitment and retention programs for the Naval Recruiting Command (NRC), focused on continuing to build a more diverse Navy. 'A critical mission' VMLY&R will work alongside WPP media agency Wavemaker and independent Iostudio, which collectively comprise the Navy Partnership. VMLY&R will work out of the Memphis office it created for the account, near the Naval Support Activity Mid-South base in Millington, Tenn. "The mission of Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) is to leverage an inspirational culture to inform, attract, influence and hire the highest quality future sailors from America's diverse talent pool," NRC Commander Rear Admiral Dennis Velez said in a statement. "We look forward to continue working with our partners at VMLY&R and achieving success in this critical mission." The appointment follows a mandated review initiated last April after the expiration of VMLY&R's previous contract. This process involved participation from ten respondents, including holding companies like IPG, Omnicom and Publicis, as well as consultancies, according to a source with knowledge of the account. Agencies are being debriefed on the decision by the government this week and evaluating whether they will contest the decision to award the account to VMLY&R, according to the source. A representative for the Naval Recruiting Command was not immediately available for comment. There is recent precedent for agencies contesting such decisions, although such protests have typically been filed by incumbents. The U.S. Navy appointed Y&R as its agency of record following a mandated review in 2015, ending a 15-year relationship with Campbell Ewald. Campbell Ewald subsequently appealed the U.S. Navy's decision, accusing the government of "procurement errors" in awarding the contract. In 2018, the U.S. Army denied a bid protest filed by incumbent McCann with the Government Accountability Office after being eliminated from a review that eventually resulted in the U.S. Army sending its account to Omnicom. EmblemHealth Names VMLY&R as Agency of Record VMLY&R first work for the U.S. Navy was 2017's "Forged by the Sea" campaign debuting during the annual Army-Navy college football game, which began a shift in its recruitment advertising to Gen Z. This past September, a "Sailor VS" campaign enlisted YouTube creators to aid in the U.S. Navy's recruitment efforts. "For nearly 245 years, America’s Navy has transformed the personal and professional lives of Sailors from all walks of life, creating endless storytelling opportunities," VMLY&R executive creative director Ryan Blum said in a statement. "It’s an honor to collaborate every day with NRC to tell these unique and powerful narratives. We are so thrilled and grateful to continue this partnership with America’s Navy." The U.S. Army Will Eliminate the Majority of Its Internal Marketing Department