E*Trade Seeks New ‘Voice and Tone’

E*Trade Financial’s “humorous, attention-getting” spots created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners have become “outdated,” according to an RFP issued last week.

The RFP explains that while the “Super Bowl ads helped build awareness and create a recognizable persona, as both the markets and E*Trade’s capabilities have changed, that voice and tone have become outdated.”

E*Trade seeks an agency “capable of connecting with the consumer via highly impactful, results-driven advertising and direct response communications,” the RFP states. “The company wants a partner that understands the ROI orientation of senior management and can work effectively in a highly charged and competitive environment where the value of advertising is constantly being assessed for its overall business contribution.”

San Francisco-based Goodby is not taking part. Interpublic Group’s Initiative Media handles planning and buying, but the RFP states that E*Trade “will be interested in learning” about contenders’ media planning skills.

Sources said shops that received the RFP include Publicis Groupe’s Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco; IPG’s Campbell-Ewald, Warren, Mich.; Omnicom Group’s TBWA\Chiat\Day, Playa del Rey, Calif., and BBDO, New York; Havas’ Euro RSCG Tatham Partners, Chicago; Grey Global Group’s Grey, Los Angeles; WPP Group’s Young & Rubicam, Irvine, Calif.; Dentsu’s Colby & Partners, Santa Monica, Calif.; and independents davidandgoliath in Los Angeles, Ground Zero in Marina del Rey, Calif., and Doner in Southfield, Mich., among others.

Responses are due July 22. The client is expected to name eight semifinalists. Following chemistry checks in August, E*Trade will select three or four finalists on Sept. 16 and 17, with a decision expected by the end of that month.

Select Resources International, which is managing the search, would not comment. Agency officials either declined comment or did not return calls. The client could not be reached.