– Mullen Among Final 3 in Subway Review
BOSTON–Subway has picked three shops to advance to the finals in its $30 million creative review: Mullen, Wenham, Mass.; Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG, New York; and The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va. Cut from the review were DiVito/Verdi and McCann-Erickson, both in New York. The remaining agencies have one month to prepare strategic and creative proposals for their final presentations, sources said. The Milford, Conn., client awarded its national media planning and buying account to MediaCom, New York, last week. Consultant AAR/Bob Wolf Partners of New York and Los Angeles is heading the review.
– Office.com Acquires Majority of Individual.com
BOSTON–Winstar Communications’ Office.com has purchased 80 percent of Individual.com from NewsEdge Corp. As a unit of New York-based Office.com, a site for small and midsized businesses, Individual.com will continue to offer its free, personalized news over the Internet and remain in Burlington, Mass. Office.com can buy the other 20 percent from NewsEdge in 2001. NewsEdge agreed to sell the unit as part of its acquisition by Westwood, Mass.-based RoweCom. Office.com recently split with ad agency Cliff Freeman and Partners, New York; Individual.com still works with Grey Advertising, New York, and public relations shop The Jelly, Winchester, Mass. Individual.com’s agency relationships will be evaluated in the next month, said a client representative.
– Stackpole Deposits Andover Bank
BOSTON–Stackpole & Partners has won the estimated $1 million ad assignment of Andover Bank. The Newburyport, Mass., shop beat out another Newburyport shop, Tomlinson, as well as Clarke Goward in Boston and Lane Advertising, Salem, Mass., in a review. Stackpole replaces Gearon Hoffman, Boston, which split with the client at the end of 1999 when it added regional marketing chores for Sovereign Bank.
– Lawrence Moves Up at Cone
BOSTON–Mike Lawrence has been promoted to executive vice president of the media services group at Cone in Boston and New York, where he has been involved in the media strategy for Dunkin’ Donuts and Timberland, among others. Lawrence spent 26 years as a journalist before joining Cone, including 14 years at Boston’s WHDH-TV.
– Mascola Ad Tapped For National Pro Bono Effort
BOSTON–The Ad Council is airing a pro bono ad produced by Mascola, New Haven, Conn., as part of a national substance abuse prevention campaign. The Office of National Drug Control Policy is funding the effort and plans to buy $1 billion in media time in the next five years. Mascola’s TV spot, “Be Big,” was originally part of a 1998 recruitment campaign for the Connecticut chapters of Big Brothers/Big Sisters. The spot was judged a success, and used again in a national campaign last year. The Ad Council selected the ad because research shows that children involved with a Big Brother or Big Sister are 46 percent less likely to get involved with drugs and 50 percent less likely to drop out of school.
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