4 on Deck for Celebrity Cruises

3 Multinationals and a Regional Shop Vie for $35 Mil. Task
ATLANTA–Celebrity Cruises has chosen four finalists to compete for its creative and media planning duties, the company said.
The field includes three big New York shops–Bozell, Ogilvy & Mather and Saatchi & Saatchi–in addition to WestWayne in Atlanta. McCann-Erickson in New York was contacted earlier by the client but declined to pitch, sources said.
The business bills an estimated $35 million. That figure is roughly double Celebrity’s current spending and comes as the Miami cruise line plans to increase its fleet to eight ships during the next year.
The client’s primary objective is to attract enough passengers to match the expanded inventory, sources said.
Pitches were initially scheduled for the second week of September, but have been delayed until the last week of the month or the first week of October, according to sources.
The inclusion of Saatchi comes as no surprise. Celebrity’s new senior vice president of marketing, James Lamonosoff, who initiated the search, spent 18 years with the agency.
Atlanta-based WestWayne recently won $8-10 million in collateral and domestic planning and marketing duties from Celebrity. Also, the agency’s Florida offices in Tampa and Miami already handle Celebrity’s international planning and marketing.
Several executives familiar with the review believe Saatchi and WestWayne are the favorites because of their pre-existing relationship with the client.
Harris Drury Cohen in Fort Lauderdale resigned all its assignments at the end of July, one week after WestWayne was awarded the collateral business.
Celebrity parent Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, also based in Miami, is conducting a separate review for creative duties on its $33 million account, and has included incumbent McKinney & Silver. The Raleigh, N.C., agency is squaring off against Arnold Communications in Boston and Temerlin McClain in Irving, Texas. The client will hear presentations in early September.
The media buying chores for both clients are expected to remain at The Media Edge, New York, except for Royal’s print planning and buying and broadcast planning, which are at M&S.
Royal is also conducting a review for its $10 million direct marketing business. FCB Direct and OgilyOne in NewYork are pitching that assignment along with Rapp Collins in Irving Texas, sources said.
–with staff report