When It Rains . . . : Bevy of Prospects Frustrates L.A. Shops

As L.A. agency execs chase a burst of new business after a long, dry spell, they’re asking whether the cumbersome, early-round process is worth the trouble.
‘The business climate is tougher, clients are seemingly uncomfortable with making decisions capriciously and are hiring a bevy of consultants and trying to ferret out every detail about every agency,’ said Mendelsohn/Zien, L.A. president Richard Zien. ‘It gives one pause to wonder why, in a business where creativity is everything, it would appear more decisions are being made based on non-creative issues.’
After a long wave of quiet, reviews for five major accounts emerged simultaneously: $15-20-million HomeBase, $10-15-million Baskin-Robbins, $10-million Secure Horizons, $8-10-million Sega of America and $25-30-million First Interstate Bank.