This morning, news went out that the Boys & Girls Club of America, the 100+-year-old organization that has been near and dear to folks like LeBron James and Denzel Washington over the years, had chosen Crispin Porter + Bogusky as its new agency of record. CP+B has succeeded McCann on the account, and as a result, will lead all national brand initiatives for the organization pro bono out of its Los Angeles office.
In a statement, Boys & Girls Club’s SVP/CMO Evan McElroy says of his organization’s own decision, “We have been looking for an agency partner to bring strategy, creativity and passion to the Boys & Girls Club brand, and we believe we’ve struck gold with CP+B. In today’s very crowded, competitive not-for-profit sector, causes need an edge to help them stand out from the clutter. We know CP+B’s reputation for innovation and impact, and we’re thrilled to begin creating work with them on behalf of America’s kids.”
Anyhow, we just wanted to get some background on BCGA’s appointment of CP+B as its new AOR, and since agency deferred to client, McElroy & company kindly obliged. We’ve been told that there was no formal review process involving other agencies, though there were conversations with a few agencies interested in exploring a relationship over the past 12-18 months. Ultimately, CP+B was determined to be “the best fit.” As for their relationship with McCann, the Boys & Girls Club tells us that is “had a great working relationship with McCann SF for four years, before that office closed in 2011.” The McCann SF office the BCGA speaks of is of course now known as twofifteenmccann.