Mullen: ‘In a Class by Itself’

Agency Tops Ingalls to Score CompUSA Assignment
BOSTON–On the heels of losing one of its larger clients, Mullen has landed a $10-20 million ad account from CompUSA.
The Wenham, Mass., agency, which lost the $10-15 million EMC business (see page 5), defeated Ingalls in Boston to pick up the national branding assignment. Reporting directly to CompUSANET.com Inc., the client’s sales division in Marlborough, Mass., Mullen will promote a newly updated Web site (www.compusa.net).
Michael Laskoff, the client’s vice president of marketing, praised Mullen’s “energy, capability and commitment,” adding that he was impressed with the agency’s work for Monster.com and Nextel. “Mullen is a strategic, integrated agency . . . in a class by itself,” he said.
The finalists were given just one week to prepare their pitches in order to test their resourcefulness and ability to move quickly, sources said.
“It was one of the most integrated pitches the agency has ever done in my 16 years here,” said Mullen creative director Edward Boches. “We assembled people from direct, interactive, public relations, account service and creative and just attacked this thing.”
Mullen made its final presentation last Tuesday; Ingalls presented to client officials on Wednesday.
Mullen’s presentation, particularly its creative work, was considered so strong that both agencies were informed of the decision Wednesday afternoon, sources said. The strength of its presentation, combined with its ability to build brands for clients such as Monster.com and Swiss Army Brands, more than compensated for Mullen’s lack of retail experience, sources said.
Ingalls was included in the review because some client decision makers previously held posts at the defunct Zayre retail chain, a former Ingalls client.–with David Gianatasio