Bravo! Marketing Wins Intelligence Firm IDC

Marketing analysis firm IDC has chosen Bravo! Marketing for advertising chores following a review of undisclosed contenders.

The business will initially be serviced from both coasts, with Bravo!’s two-person Boston office handling account management, led by agency co-founder and vice president Alexx Wood, and the San Francisco headquarters handling creative chores.

The Framingham, Mass., client previously worked with agencies on a project basis and did some work in-house. However, managers at IDC, a unit of technology publisher International Data Group, decided that the company needed to increase its focus on building corporate brand awareness as it attempts to expand into the e-business realm, said company vice president of worldwide marketing MaryAnne Sinville.

The budget was not disclosed.

“They are the most quoted industry analysts in the world,” said Rick Scherle, executive vice president and co-founder of Bravo!. “It’s a very exciting client opportunity.”

After conducting research, the privately-held firm screened a dozen agencies over the phone before holding formal interviews with Bravo! and other agencies.

“I was leery of talking to a California-based agency [because of the distance], but we really liked their work,” said Sinville. When the agency this summer opened an outpost in Boston, the client decided to come aboard, she said. In addition, the fact that many Bravo! staffers have technology, rather than agency, backgrounds was attractive, said Sinville.

Work will include providing worldwide brand strategy, print and online advertising, recruitment marketing, public relations, and possibly direct marketing. The agency will also handle media planning and buying chores.

It has not yet been decided whether IDC will continue to use the tagline, “Analyze the future,” created in-house. Ads may break as soon as next month.

Bravo!, which was founded in San Francisco in 1995, opened its Boston office approximately a month ago. Its clients have included Hitachi, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Hiway Technologies and ValueClick.