CME a Block-Buster

Campbell Mithun Esty’s ability to integrate its marketing capabilities was key to landing H&R Block’s $100 million global marketing account, client and agency officials said.
“We were looking for a full-marketing partner,” said David Byers, the Kansas City, Mo., company’s chief marketing officer. “CME demonstrated an outstanding ability to integrate our services, identify and target our customers and take an analytically driven approach to our business.”
The Minneapolis shop bested DDB Chicago for the business. Incumbent Y&R Chicago and its Impiric (direct marketing), Bravo Group (Hispanic marketing) and Nicholson Interactive subsidiaries did not participate in the review. Dieste & Partners in Dallas was awarded Hispanic marketing duties. An interactive review was ongoing early last week, Byers said. Select Resources International in Los Angeles handled the search.
Media buying will remain at Media Edge in New York, Byers said.
H&R Block spent $31 million on advertising last year, according to Competitive Media Reporting. Global spending and the cost of all integrated services will up that to
$100 million, the com-pany said.
CME president Les Mouser credited the win to the shop’s efforts at bringing various disciplines together. That included creating a contact management group that puts together media and direct and promotional marketing.
“We’re not separate profit centers,” Mouser said. “This was an account that was attracted to us because of the model that we’ve built.”
CME also has realigned along business units for its clients, Mouser said. One will focus on retail and e-commerce clients, another on multichannel clients that require more relationship building and one will handle more traditional packaged goods, he said.
H&R Block will likely fall into the multichannel unit, led by executive vice president Steve Wehrenberg and associate creative officer George Halvorson, Mouser said. K