Verizon Gives Up On IPG Shops

After giving Interpublic Group three months’ worth of chances to come up with new ideas, Verizon Wireless gave up and threw its national account into review last week.

The Bedminster, N.J., client had challenged incumbent Lowe and sibling IPG shops McCann-Erickson and Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos to develop the next phase of its “Test Man” campaign. And while some client executives liked McCann’s pitch, sources said there was no consensus. One source said Verizon reasoned: “If we’re unhappy, why don’t we just open ourselves up?”

The client spends about $700 million a year, including regional and direct-response ads.