HP Takes Americas Computer Account Out of Twofifteen McCann

McCann has lost its last piece of Hewlett-Packard business. Twofifteen McCann, a boutique agency associated with the Interpublic network, held on to HP’s PSG Americas in May after BBDO Worldwide was named global lead on the personal computer business. Now, that regional assignment has also been given to BBDO, sources said.

Twofifteen had been formed as a spinoff in 2010 by principals who were part of T.A.G., a group inside McCann that had handled the award-winning Xbox account since 2007. In May of 2011, McCann Worldgroup merged Twofifteen back into McCann. The Interpublic unit said the SF boutique would assume “global creative leadership of the HP business” previously handled by McCann. 

Twofifteen McCann had been working on HP’s Personal Systems Group after Goodby, Silverstein & Partners resigned it last November. It’s been one of HP’s most visible marketing efforts, with popular campaigns like “The Computer is Personal Again.” In January, HP hired industry consultants Pile and Co. to run an agency review for the PSG unit. During that process HP announced in March that it would merge the company’s personal computing business with its imaging and printing group, which BBDO already handled. (BBDO is also the lead on HP’s global marketing.)

HP had been one of Twofifteen McCann’s largest accounts. The agency did not respond to inquiries about the account loss or any layoffs related to it. BBDO declined comment, as did McCann Erickson, with both agencies referring calls to HP. HP advertising execs could not be reached.

A sign that the Interpublic agency’s prospects were not good occurred after the business went into review. Brad Cohn, the ecd on the business at Twofifteen McCann, resigned from the agency. Cohn, who had been an ecd at McCann Erickson S.F. since 2006 and worked on HP there, moved to Twofifteen McCann in June of 2011 to continue worrking on the account.