American Skiing Retains Incumbent

BOSTON Via has won the American Skiing Co.’s estimated $20 million ad account, sources said.

The Portland, Maine-based independent, already a client roster shop, prevailed over Interpublic Group’s McCann-Erickson in New York and Publicis Groupe’s Publicis, Seattle, in the final round of a review, sources said.

Agency officials declined comment, and the client in Park City, Utah, did not return calls.

American Skiing has said it was looking for a full-service agency to handle advertising that will encompass TV, radio and print, as well as public relations and event marketing. The focus will be on next year’s ski business, although the company operates its resorts year-round. The work has been split among various regional shops.

Other agencies that had been involved in the review’s early stages were Omnicom’s DDB in San Francisco; Havas’ Euro RSCG in New York; and independent Blitz Media, Middletown, N.Y., sources said.

The client’s properties are: Killington and Mount Snow in Vermont, Sunday River and Surgarloaf in Maine, Attitash Bear Peak in New Hampshire, The Canyons in Utah and Steamboat Springs in Colorado.

According to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR, American Skiing spent $3 million on ads last year.

—with Michelle Jeffers and Kathleen Sampey

This story updates a previously posted item.