This week we received a few tips claiming that CarMax — used car retailer, Fortune 500 company, buyer of Super Bowl ad spots — might be shopping around for a new agency.
Silver + Partners (formerly Amalgamated, in which DDB vet Eric Silver bought a controlling stake) has counted CarMax as a client for several years, most recently earning extensive media attention for the “Slow Clap” spot that aired during the last Super Bowl.
Yes, there was a puppy version. The campaign marked an extremely successful return to Super Bowl ads for CarMax, which sat out the big game for two years. It also prompted calls by consumer groups for the FTC to sue the company for false advertising, but there have been no updates on those claims since June.
Our sources claim that Silver + Partners will not be working on this year’s CarMax Super Bowl spot and that the company may be looking for a new creative AOR; we’ve received no comment from the agency after repeated requests.
(On a side note, CarMax was the first brand to abandon the L.A. Clippers in the wake of Donald Sterling’s infamous time in the media spotlight this spring.)