Agency News

NEW YORK Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners' first TV spot for 1-800-Flowers features shots of flowers in Holland and a new tagline: "Flowers mean the world to us." The 30-spot, which is backed by a 60- second radio ad and print work, broke Oct. 19 and runs through mid-December. New executions will break in December and February. American General Corp., a diversified financial services firm with $100 billion in assets, has launched its first-ever national advertising campaign through Grey Advertising in New York. TV spots, which will break on Fox's World Series telecasts, highlight American figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The tagline is, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams Live the life you've imagined." Bates USA has created a new TV spot in its "Medicine Head" campaign for client Warner-Lambert's Childrens Sudafed brand. A new spot in 15- and 30-second executions, titled "Blockhead," broke Oct. 21 during the CBS television series Chicago Hope. The commercial uses the tagline, "A clear head. Not medicine head." Euro RSCG Worldwide has acquired Toronto-based agency Sharpe/Blackmore. The agency will now be known as Sharpe/Blackmore Euro RSCG. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Sharpe/Blackmore, founded in 1996, has roughly $20 million in billings and handles Canadian advertising for clients including Xerox, Absolut Vodka and Dell Computer. Agency principals Bill Sharpe and Tom Blackmore will continue to run the shop under the Euro banner. The Irish Tourist Board has named Creative Media, New York, as its media planning and buying agency, following a three-month review. The $4 million-per-year account was at The Media Edge, also New York. DDB Needham in New York is the tourist board's creative shop. Toolbox in New York created the first advertising for Swiss World Airways, an airline offering nonstop service between Newark, N.J., and Geneva, Switzerland. Print ads use amusing headlines such as, "We have one thing to say to those high-priced airlines. Fondue," to show off some of the carrier's more unusual offerings. Another ad focusing on Swiss World's ˆ la carte menu shows a spoonful of caviar with the headline, "Our food's not so hot." The tagline: "Fly in the face of convention." Healthworld Corp., New York, has acquired CPA Espana, a Madrid, Spain-based communications agency. CPA Espana lists clients such as Glaxo-Wellcome, Wyeth-Lederle, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pharmacia & Upjohn. GHBM Healthworld in New York was named ad agency for the launch of DuraGen, a new neurosurgical product to be used in spinal and cranial surgical procedures from Integra Life Sciences Corp. Select Media Communications has established an international television production division, called Select International Television Network, based in New York. Transportation Media, New York, was named to manage the advertising concession at Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada. New York public relations shop Roper Starch Worldwide has opened an office in Washington, D.C. The agency has also merged with Response Analysis, a Princeton, N.J.-based marketing research and consulting firm. Carl Bloom Associates, New York, has launched its first direct mail "consortium" program. The purpose of the effort is to raise funds for regional, state and city libraries nationwide. TMP Worldwide, a New York-based yellow pages advertising agency, has acquired Stackig Advertising and Public Relations in McLean, Va. The shop reported billings of $11 million last year and lists clients such as ITT Defense & Electronics, Supercom, Unisys, Westell and Eastman Kodak Commercial and Government Systems. Interactive Bureau, New York, has completed a redesign of cable television network HBO's Web site, hbo.com. Waters Design Associates, New York, has created an identity and integrated communications effort for Get2net, a provider of Internet access through public kiosks. New York-based public relations shop Jericho Communications has signed three new clients. The shop will handle public relations for online video retailer kozmo.com, develop branding strategies for New York advertising shop DiMassimo and help establish name awareness and increase enrollment for Pet Assure, a health service developed for pets. Evins Communications, New York, has been tapped as the marketing communications and public relations agency for Modern Bride magazine. Moody Communications, New York, has picked up the public relations business of Sharp International's New York watches division. Sharp markets watches under the Jones New York, Etienne Aigner and Eberhard brands. National Cable Communications, Cable Networks Inc. and the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau, all New York, are presenting a "National Spot Cable Forum" in seven major cities this month to increase advertising community awareness of the medium. The forum will be held in Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Detroit. The TemPositions Group of Cos., New York, has formed a "freelance marketing supermarket" within its Desktop Group division. The "supermarket" will make available brand management, market research, online marketing, advertising, public relations, public affairs and sales promotion professionals on a temporary, as-needed basis. Missy Farren & Associates, New Rochelle, was tapped to develop and support trade and media press shows for Colorado Ski Country USA. Bozell Worldwide's new spots for computer manufacturer Unisys--which depicts the commitment Unysis employees have toward their jobs by showing their heads in the form of computer monitors--used visual effects created by post-production company Charlex in New York. KCSA Public Relations in New York picked up five new investor-relations clients: C-Phone, Wilmington, N.C.; QuikBiz Internet Group, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; SmarTire Systems, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada; USCI, Norcross, Ga.; and Warrentech Corp., Stamford, Conn. The agency also added V.I. Technologies in Melville as an investor relations and public relations client. Blue Sky VFX in Harrison created computer generated animated effects for Ogilvy & Mather's 30-second spot for Capri Sun drink mix, titled "Clever Mom." In the spot, several metallic silver blobs speed through a suburban neighborhood and morph into three thirsty boys. NEW JERSEY Gillespie Advertising, Lawrenceville, has won the advertising business of Justballs, an Internet retail site specializing in balls for sports such as football, soccer, basketball, tennis, golf and volleyball. Billings are estimated at more than $1 million. The shop's first assignment is to promote the client's commemorative World Series baseballs. Morristown shop Dugan Valva Contess has formed a new division, DVC ActiveCare, that uses behavioral marketing techniques to create promotional marketing materials for healthcare companies. Verona-based corporate communications production company Venture was recognized with a gold trophy in the 1998 Aurora Awards, a national film and video competition. The shop won for its video titled "Get Your First Job in Communications." PENNSYLVANIA White, Good & Co., Lebanon, was named the integrated marketing communications shop for Alexander Julian's Home Colours line of home furnishings. Godfrey Advertising in Lancaster has added ICSA to its list of high-technology and industrial clients. Reston, Va.-based ICSA offers computer security product verification and objective network security assurance services. Stiegler, Wells & Brunswick, a Bethlehem, Pa.-based shop, won two gold medals in at the recent International Network of Business-to-Business Agencies annual conference in Milan, Italy. SWB was recognized for five product brochures designed for Easton-based client Binney & Smith. CONNECTICUT Source Marketing in Westport, a promotion agency claiming roughly $7 million in billings, has been acquired by MDC Corp. of Canada. MDC also bought New York ad agency Margeotes/Fertitta + Partners earlier this year. Shaw's Supermarkets, a unit of London-based J. Sainsbury, will not renew the contract of ad agency Mintz & Hoke, Avon, Conn., for 1999. The client is in the process of considering shops to handle its $3 million account. Shaw's in East Bridgewater, Mass., operates 130 supermarkets in New England. Madison Direct Marketing, Greenwich, and St. Louis, Mo.-based Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages will jointly offer a direct-delivery advertising program targeted to new residents. Madison will market the program to its base of package goods marketers, retailers and direct response companies as well as solicit new advertisers. CALIFORNIA DDB Needham in San Francisco has launched a new TV campaign for The Clorox Co. to promote the Oakland, Calif.-based client's 409 All-Purpose Cleaner and 409 Carpet Cleaner. The estimated $15-20 million effort features a squadron of small purple 409 icons flying through a house and cleaning things. The tagline: "Giddyup 409." The effort uses a revamped version of the Beach Boys song "409" as its soundtrack. Horizon Organic Dairy in Boulder, Colo., tapped Citron Haligman Bedecarre, San Francisco, for its new $2-4 million account, after a national review. The agency will handle the 7-year-old company's first national consumer ads. The Mushroom Council, Roseville, Calif., hired Hoffman/Lewis in San Francisco to handle its $2 million ad account, following a three-month review that included more than 12 undisclosed shops. MASSACHUSETTS Partners & Simons in Boston has been named to handle the creative portion of the $3-5 million ad account of anti-virus software firm Symantec in Cupertino, Calif., which recently parted ways with Goldberg Moser O'Neil in San Francisco. Carat Freeman, Newton, Mass., has handled media chores since the break with Goldberg Moser. Woolf Associates, The Hartford Financial Services Group and NBC Sports have inked an endorsement deal with pro golfer Casey Martin. The Hartford becomes a support sponsor of the 1998 EMC Golf Skills Challenge and will run commercials from its "Bring It On" campaign during NBC's broadcast of the event Nov 14-15. Arnold Communications, Boston, is lead agency for The Hartford. Woolf, a sports and entertainment marketing agency, represents Martin and also works for The Hartford. Terms were not disclosed. MINNESOTA Polaris Industries assigned its $3-5 million snowmobile and personal watercraft account to Martin/Williams, Minneapolis. Clarity Coverdale Fury, also Minneapolis, was the other finalist. Carmichael Lynch, Minneapolis, was the 15-year incumbent. MICHIGAN General Motors' Pontiac-GMC division is adopting Pontiac Montana as the sole brand for its minivan. The Montana upscale options package for the Trans Sport minivan has proven so popular that both upscale and base models will carry that name. Two new 30-second TV spots for the 1999 Montana from D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Troy, Mich., will break in January.

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