Liberty Mutual Reaches Out to 15+ Shops

NEW YORK Liberty Mutual has sent proposal requests to more than 15 agencies in the review of its estimated $50 million ad account, according to sources.

Pile and Co. in Boston is spearheading the search, which kicked off last week.

Among those asked to challenge incumbent Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners in New York were: IPG’s Avrett Free Ginsberg, Lowe and Deutsch, all in New York, and Mullen in Wenham, Mass.; WPP Group’s JWT in New York; Havas’ Arnold in Boston; Omnicom Group’s TBWA\Chiat\Day in New York; and independent Cramer-Krasselt in Chicago, sources said.

Also invited were Publicis’ Saatchi & Saatchi and MDC’s Margeotes Fertitta Powell, both in New York, which declined to participate.

It was unclear how many agencies would compete in the review, though sources said KB+P, which has held the account for more than seven years, would defend both creative and media duties.

Initial submissions are due on Aug. 12, according to the pitch materials, with semifinalists due to be picked on Aug 16.

Capabilities presentations will be held in mid-September and finalists, picked in late September, will make pitches on Oct. 21. A decision is due by the end of October.

The Boston-based client broke work in April that targeted corporate and individual consumers and positioned the company as a proactive insurance partner that stays ahead of the curve. One TV spot showed Eve declining the serpent’s offer of an apple because otherwise she’d end up having to worry about tax brackets and carbohydrates.

The campaign is tagged, “It’s more than insurance, it’s insurance in action.”