Hotlines

Revlon Sets Final Pitches On $125 Mil. Account

NEW YORK Final presentations conclude this week in the review for Revlon’s $125 million business, sources said. The incumbent, IPG’s Deutsch in New York, presented last Friday. WPP’s Berlin Cameron/Red Cell goes on Tuesday, and Publicis’ The Kaplan Thaler Group makes its case on Friday, according to sources. At stake are creative and media duties for Revlon brands and possibly the client’s Almay line, sources said. Agencies have up to four hours to present. The client declined comment.



Y&R Installs McLean as North American CEO Under Fudge

NEW YORK Young & Rubicam on Friday promoted agency veteran Gord McLean as North American CEO, under worldwide CEO Ann Fudge. Y&R’s six North American offices now report to McLean, 50, who continues as president of global client services at Y&R Brands, overseeing the shop’s global Colgate and ChevronTexaco accounts.



Anomaly Hires LaGreca, Vulcan, Gosler in Top Roles

NEW YORK Independent shop Anomaly has added senior people in finance, product development and account services, eight months after opening in New York. Joining as partners are Sal LaGreca, 52, the former worldwide CFO at IPG’s McCann WorldGroup, and Johnny Vulcan, 34, former senior project director at Publicis’ Fahrenheit 212 in New York, the agency said. Jared Gosler, 35, a former global account director at Publicis’ Leo Burnett in Chicago and ex-director of interactive services at indie Wieden + Kennedy in Amsterdam, has become brand director on Coca-Cola’s Dasani, an estimated $20 million account the shop landed in November. As partners, LaGreca and Vulcan also get small equity stakes in the agency, said founding partner Carl Johnson.



$200 Mil. Mitsubishi to Hear From 4 Finalists This Week

LOS ANGELES The $200 million creative review for Mitsubishi Motors North America concludes next week, with final presentations at the Cypress, Calif., headquarters set for Feb. 15, two on Feb. 16, and the last pitch on Feb. 17. Publicis Groupe’s Publicis and Hal Riney in San Francisco and Publicis in Seattle; Omnicom’s BBDO in New York; and IPG’s TM Advertising in Irving, Texas, will contend for the business. Seven-year incumbent IPG’s Deutsch/LA in Marina del Rey, Calif., resigned the business when agency management was snubbed and insulted by Mitsubishi executives, sources said.



Quesnell Succeeds Stoddart As Ford’s Marketing Manager

NEW YORK Ford Motor Co. said it has named Mary Lou Quesnell marketing communications manager for its namesake division. Quesnell, who has been with the company for 20 years, replaces Rich Stoddart, 41, who left Ford this year to become president of U.S. operations for Publicis’ Leo Burnett. Quesnell has held positions in marketing and sales, and car product development in Europe and North America. Most recently, she was market representation manager for the Lincoln Mercury division. Ford’s lead agency is WPP’s JWT in Detroit. The client has spent nearly $800 million in each of the past two years on U.S. ads for its Ford division vehicles, according to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR.



$100 Mil. Jaguar to Finish Agency Visits, Cut to Finalists

NEW YORK A cut to a handful of finalists is expected this week in Jaguar’s $100 million global creative review, following visits to nine agencies, sources said. The visits began last week and are expected to conclude today. Sources identified the contenders as the incumbent, WPP’s Young & Rubicam in Irvine, Calif.; sister shops JWT and Berlin Cameron/Red Cell, both in New York; Havas’ Euro RSCG in New York; MDC’s Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners in New York; and independents Doner in Southfield, Mich., M&C Saatchi and Leagas Delaney, both in London and StrawberryFrog in Amsterdam. The shops either declined comment or could not be reached; the client declined comment.



Smart USA Picks 3 Shops For Contest’s Final Round

NEW YORK Three agencies have advanced to the final round of Smart USA’s $20 million review, sources said. They are: DeVito Verdi and StrawberryFrog, both in New York, and Venables Bell in San Francisco, all independents. The next step in the review is on hold, sources said, because Smart USA is taking a few weeks to refine its strategies. Once those new plans are in place, agencies will be told about review procedures. The client last month said its involvement in the Detroit Auto Show prompted a postponement of the cut, but sources have said, given the negative publicity surrounding its U.S. entry, the company is unsure about the fate of Smart Formore, which is scheduled to launch in 2006. Agencies referred inquiries to the client, which did not return calls.



Initiative Installs Tunnicliffe As Chief Strategist in U.S.

NEW YORK IPG’s Initiative Worldwide has imported 25-year London veteran Mike Tunnicliffe to fill the new role of chief strategic officer for its North America unit. Tunnicliffe reports to worldwide CEO Alec Gerster and oversees U.S. business development strategy.



Lowe London Loses Execs After Lace Takes CEO Post

NEW YORK Mark Cadman, the managing director of IPG’s Lowe in London, quit last week, a few days after the resignation of planning director Russ Lidstone, who accepted an offer to become head of account planning at WPP’s JWT in London. The abrupt exits came just a few weeks after Lowe worldwide CEO Tony Wright named Garry Lace CEO of the London office. The office has been beset by losses in the past year such as HSBC Group, Unilever’s Surf and Diet Coke.



Nintendo Launches New Ads via Burnett

NEW YORK Nintendo this week refreshes its “Touching is good” campaign that is intended to maintain the client’s 98 percent share of the handheld gaming market. Four 30-second ads by Leo Burnett tout current and upcoming games for its DS (dual-screen) system and come a month before the U.S. launch of Sony PlayStation Portable. Nintendo will also be the exclusive gaming partner for the U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships in March and the Taste of Chaos punk music tour beginning Feb. 18.