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Starz Puts $40 Mil. Account in ReviewDALLAS—Starz Encore Group has placed its $40 million creative and media accounts up for review. Creative incumbent for the Englewood, Colo.-based company, The Richards Group in Dallas, is not participating. Media is now handled by Media Planning in New York, formerly SFM Media. Jill Wisehart, the client's director of consumer and strategic marketing, is managing the search. Proposals are due back this week.Danone Divides Global Creative on Biscuits NEW YORK—The Danone Group has divided global creative duties on its biscuits business between roster shops Euro RSCG and Young & Rubicam, following a pitch that took place about a month ago, sources said. Euro RSCG captured about three-quarters of the business, with Y&R getting the rest. Total billings were estimated at $100 million. Media duties continue to be split between Carat and BCom3's MediaVest. The split decision followed a review that was limited to Y&R and Euro RSCG, sources said.BK Hands $40 Mil. Media Assignment to MediaVestNEW YORK—Burger King has awarded its $40 million kids' media account to Bcom3's MediaVest in New York; the account had been with Initiative Media. MediaVest handles BK's adult media buying account, a representative for the fast-food chain said, declining to reveal the company's spending on media. According to CMR, BK spends about $385 million a year on ads. BK had been planning for several months to move its kids' media account to MediaVest, sources said, and decided to act now because of the Kids' Television Upfront that is scheduled to take place in the next few weeks. Creative for kids' advertising is with IPG's Campbell Mithun in Minneapolis; creative for adults is handled by McCann-Erickson in New York.TN/IPG Deal on Track, TN SaysCHICAGO—True North Communications said its acquisition by The Interpublic Group of Companies remains on track for completion this summer, with shareholders set to vote on the matter on June 19. TN reported first- quarter revenue of $356 million, up 8 percent from the same period a year ago. However, the slow economy led TN to lower its growth projections for the year to 5 percent, from a previous estimate of 8 percent.Bostock Steps Down as Bcom3 ChairmanCHICAGO—Bcom3 chairman Roy Bostock has stepped down, his title and duties taken over by CEO Roger Haupt. Bostock, 60, said his retirement was in the works when the MacManus Group and the Leo Group merged to form Bcom3 last March. Bostock will remain on Bcom's board and will consult on major clients. The company earlier this year backed off its plans to go public this year, citing volatile market conditions. Bostock said his decision was unrelated to the IPO delay.Pioneer Taps BBDO for Corporate BrandingLOS ANGELES—Pioneer North America has selected BBDO West for a corporate branding assignment after a review that included two other undisclosed West Coast shops. This is a new assignment for the Long Beach, Calif., client, which expects to spend $20 million a year for the next three years on corporate ads. BBDO West has worked with Pioneer for more than ten years and handles ads for the client's home and car divisions. The account will be run out of BBDO's San Francisco office. Newswire RoundupPost & Partners won Panasonic's Toughbook ad account, worth about $5 million in billings. The New York-based shop will handle media and creative duties. It won the account after a five-month review in which the agency competed against six undisclosed agencies. Renegade Marketing Group in New York was the incumbent. … Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners in New York has emerged as a contender in the review for Panasonic's estimated $10 million electric shavers account, sources said. Other contenders: Jordan McGrath Case & Partners, Avrett Free Ginsberg and incumbent Warwick Baker O'Neill, all in New York, sources said. … Cordiant Communications Group has acquired the London-based Bulletin International Limited, a global broadcast public relations consultancy, for a combination of cash and Cordiant shares. … Carnival Corp. has initiated a review for Cunard Line's $4 million ad account. The review follows the reorganization of parent company Carnival, which recently split operational duties for the Cunard and Seabourne brands. … Tribal DDB has acquired both the flagship U.S. Air Force account and the employees of interactive agency SixtyFootSpider's faltering Dallas office. The gain of about 30 new employees makes Tribal DDB the largest interactive shop in the Dallas area, with 69 staffers. … Rubbermaid moved its estimated $10 million account to McCann-Erickson in New York from Mar tin/Williams in Minneapolis, without a review. Rubbermaid's recently named president, David Klatt, and vp of marketing, John Constantine, were both previously at Black & Decker, whose agency is McCann. Rubbermaid Home Products is part of Newell Rubbermaid based in Freeport, Ill. … Wilson Sporting Goods awarded its $6 million account to Euro RSCG Tatham, the company said. The Chicago-based shop bested Bozell and Publicis in Mid America, also in Chicago, for the business. DDB Chicago in February ended a five-year relationship with Wilson. … Swiss creative director Liliane Lerch, who helped launch DaimlerChrysler's Smart car in Europe in the late '90s, has opened creative boutique Beige Commu nications in Venice, Calif., and New York to serve European clients doing business here and U.S. firms operating in Europe.

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