At&T calls on Ayer; Y&R loses $40-mil. piece of business

In its second seismic billings shift in recent weeks, AT&T has moved Young & Rubicam’s estimated $40-million portion of the domestic consumer long-distance business to Ayer.
“Ayer is basically getting all the marketing initiatives to stimulate AT&T calling from outside the home,” said one source. Y&R execs reportedly made a last-ditch attempt to hang on to the business but failed. With the shift, Y&R basically loses all of its domestic consumer long-distance business but remains a major AT&T agency.
Ayer and Y&R declined comment.