Will Burnett Get a Fair Shot To Keep Olds? By David Kile

CHICAGO - Leo Burnett has Oldsmobile management in its corner. But last Friday it was giving a make-or-break presentation to the entire selection committee

Last week’s meeting, said sources close to the review, was to determine whether the committee would put the incumbent on an equal footing with the other contenders – believed to include Ayer/Detroit; Hal Riney & Partners/S.F.; Ammirati & Puris/N.Y.; Fallon McElligott/Minneapolis; and one other undisclosed agency.
Burnett’s pitch team, led by chairman Rick Fizdale and president Bill Lynch, presented to the committee last week in Chicago, said sources. They offered a plan that included new creative, new staff organization, new service arrangements for dealer groups, and long-term strategy for rebuilding the Olds brand.
Olds general manager John Rock has not been shy about expressing his concern over Burnett getting a fair shot at keeping the business, since no car account in recent memory has stayed with the incumbent following a review.
In a recent interview with ADWEEK, Rock said, ‘When you look at Burnett’s reel, with work done for Hallmark, United Airlines and McDonald’s, you get a pretty good idea that Leo Burnett is a damn good agency, and should not be blamed for the problems Olds has today.’
Rock added, ‘I have been concerned from the start that Burnett might not get a fair shot at it (by the entire committee) because of prejudice’ against incumbents.
Copyright Adweek L.P. (1993)