Datastream Transfers Account

Downloads From Morrison to Austin Kelley
ATLANTA–Austin Kelley Advertising’s strong second-place finish two years ago must have been remembered by officials at Datastream Systems, as they decided to shift their $1.5 million account to the agency here last week without undertaking a formal review.
According to Austin Kelley executive vice president Jay Shields, the software supplier placed its advertising business with another local shop, The Morrison Agency, approximately 24 months ago.
“As we understand it, [The Morrison Agency] picked up some business that Datastream thought was a competitor,” Shields said. “The client came back to us and started some discussions in late fall about the possibility of working together and things grew from there.”
The assignment will involve virtually all business-to-business print advertising in trade publications. Shields said the software company manages its own in-house production unit that creates sales support and collateral materials.
The agency’s first campaign for the client is not expected to break until early in the second quarter of this year, he added.
Datastream, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Greenville, S.C., develops and sells management and asset management software for the industrial automation market. The company’s projected revenues for 1998 are $100 million.
Datastream represents the first account acquisition for Austin Kelley since the agency was bought late last year by the Interpublic Group of Cos. The win pushes the agency’s billings over $85 million. –Jim Osterma