Saturn Seeks Ideas Beyond Riney

General Motors’ Saturn unit’s decision to look beyond its agency for campaign ideas could be more a sign of the troubled economy than a reflection on Hal Riney & Partners, said an executive at another GM shop who requested anonymity.

But others said relations between Saturn and Riney in San Francisco have been strained in recent months and the review could wind up being for the entire account.

Riney appears to have “lost interest and lost its grip on the account,” said one source.