Hotline

Mintz & Hoke, NCP Pursue Mott’s

NEW YORK—Eight shops have advanced in the $10-15 million Mott’s review. They are North Castle Partners, Stamford, Conn.; Mintz & Hoke, Avon, Conn.; Cramer-Krasselt, Chicago; The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.; The Wolf Group, D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Gotham and The Kaplan Thaler Group, all in New York, according to sources. A cut to three finalists is expected soon.

Hill, Holliday Wins Veritas

BOSTON—Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos on Friday won the $10 million Veritas Software account. The agency’s San Francisco office overcame crosstown shop Doremus and Chicago’s Leo Burnett in the final round of a review. Dayner/Hall, Orlando, Fla., was the incumbent.

Finish Line Shopping $10 Mil. Account

CHICAGO—Finish Line, a retailer of brand-name athletic footwear, apparel and accessories, is talking to agencies about its estimated $10 million ad account. Pitches are expected in the next few weeks, sources said. Indianapolis-based Finish Line has previously used several agencies on a project basis, including Cliff Freeman and Partners in New York, which also created retail promotional spots for Nike.

Brann May Cut 60

BOSTON—If business does not improve by year’s end, Brann Worldwide intends to trim about 60 employees, roughly half of the staff in its Wilton, Conn., headquarters. The decision stems from eight-year client IBM’s consolidation of its relationship marketing chores with OgilvyOne and Wunderman Worldwide, said Brann CEO David Finkel. With global billings near $1 billion, Brann employs more than 5,000 staffers in some 15 offices. The shop had been a unit of Havas Advertising’s Diversified Agencies Group, which is being disbanded. Brann, by far the largest component of DAS, will soon be re aligned with another division of the French conglomerate, likely Arnold or Euro RSCG.



Hotline Roundup

BOSTON—Mullen in Wenham, Mass., is preparing to launch a national campaign early next month for Neu Level. The effort, which includes TV spots, will attempt to persuade businesses of all sizes to utilize the “.biz” Internet address, a registry domain controlled by the client. Spending, sources said, could reach the low eight figures. The client’s positioning line is “Nothing personal. Just business.” … Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos has dropped the line “AMD makes it possible” in its latest print work for Advanced Micro Devices. The ads tout the client’s Athlon XP processor and take on rival Intel by name. A separate campaign from Hill, Holliday’s New York office supporting LG Electronics’ cell phones weaves cartoon-style illustrations from the company’s red smiley-face logo. … Boston Business Forward’s October/November issue was its last, according to Jeremy Brosowsky, CEO of the publication’s parent company, who blamed the down economy for the title’s demise after only four issues. A December issue will be available online, Brosowsky said.