GTE ‘Net Unit Assigns Branding

Continuing its winning streak with clients serving the e-commerce marketplace, Mullen has been tapped to create a brand position for online service provider GTE Internetworking, according to sources.
Billings for GTEI at the Wenham, Mass., agency could top $50 million, sources said.
Mullen executives declined comment, and client representative Jan Ledbetter did not return calls at press time on Friday.
Burlington, Mass.-based GTEI comprises GTE Internet Services and the former BBN Corp., which 28 years ago developed technology widely viewed as the forerunner to today’s Internet. GTE of Irving, Texas, bought BBN in mid-1997.
GTEI provides Internet access for a range of customers, from consumers to Fortune 500 companies, along with Web hosting and network management. Clients include Digital Equipment, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Harvard University.
GTEI most recently worked with SixtyFootSpider, which was established in 1994 by True North Communications–the parent company of GTE lead agency Temerlin McClain, which is also in Irving. Officials with SixtyFootSpider did not return calls.
Despite winning GTEI, there appears to be a growing softness among Mullen’s cache of tech accounts. Most recently, the agency was placed on 90-day notice by the e-commerce division of CompUSA, Cozone.com (see separate story on page 6). –with David Gianatasio and J. Dee Hill