H&R Block Inc. now is more than a tax preparer. In January, the Kansas City, Mo.-based firm launched a massive marketing campaign touting itself as a year-round financial-services provider.
Business is said to be good, awareness up, the ads have won awards. Even so, Block has put up for review its $20 million ad account, now at Y&R Chicago.
Y&R has been asked to participate, along with other agencies, in the review, which apparently stems from recent marketing management changes at the client.
Not only that, several other Y&R Inc. units that now have a relationship with Block also are being reviewed. They are Media Edge for media buying; Impiric (recently renamed from Wunderman Cato Johnson) for direct marketing and sales promotion; and Bravo Group for the Hispanic market.
A Block spokeswoman said Thursday the firm was “pleased with the work done” by Y&R but changes on the account team at the agency and changes at the company led to the review. Block is going to retain a consultant for what it terms a $100 million global marketing and advertising business, most of it now held by Y&R Inc.
Y&R Chicago won Block as a client in April 1996 following a competition that included other Chicago agencies, along with Campbell Mithun Esty in Minneapolis; and Publicis/Bloom Dallas. The incumbent at the time, Bernstein-Rein in Kansas City, decided not to compete.
– Wheatley Blair Inc., a Chicago-based marketing communications-PR-government affairs firm, hired three former staffers of the defunct Lois/EJL Chicago ad agency and added two clients in expanding its base to include full-service advertising capabilities. Joining Wheatley Blair are Ernie Brown and Leo Portnoy, both in account management, and Mickey Brazeal, who was appointed creative director, all on the ad side of Wheatley Blair. At Lois/EJL, Brown had been senior VP, management representative; Portnoy, a VP, management supervisor; and Brazeal, executive creative director. At Wheatley Blair, they report to Laurel Blair, chief executive-founder of the 10-year-old firm. Wheatley Blair also added Chicago-based Turtle Wax Inc. and Bolder Technologies Corp., a Golden, Colo., firm, as advertising clients. Turtle Wax and Bolder had already been public relations clients of Wheatley Blair.
On Wisconsin? Nope: Since previously picking only Michigan State University as an NCAA Final Four contender, this column doesn’t belong in the sports pages. However, for the sake of continuity, our hunch still is that the Spartans will win it all, besting the University of Wisconsin in a squeaker Saturday before beating the University of Florida on Monday. Michigan State has 11,000 alumni in Illinois, most of them in the Chicago area. As for the 20,000 Chicago-area Badger alumni, including column reader/movie product placement expert George Simkowski, it was a heckuva Badger run. They have hung around in the NCAA, taking to heart the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s new “Stay Just a Little Bit Longer” theme.
– Gordon Robertson, recently with D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles St. Louis, joined BBDO Chicago as a group creative director, one of three at the agency holding that title, all reporting to Phil Gant, executive VP-chief creative officer…. Robert C. Vevang became senior VP, director client service, at the Townsend Agency, Rosemont.
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Strictly Personal: Birthday greetings Friday to Jeff Hernandez, 39 (Classic Colour); George Shadid, 46 (Applebee’s CFO); publicist Rhonda Sanderson, 49; Claude Bazzon, 69 (Le Titi de Paris); Chris Considine, 40 (Wilson Team Sports) and Gerry Rubin, 60 (Rubin Postaer). On Saturday to PR exec Betsy Neville, 38; David W. Feldman, 59 (Metro Suburbia); and Tim Pretzsch, 44. On Sunday to tobacconist Stanley B. Levi, 94 (Iwan Ries); Jim Oates, 57 (Leo Burnett Co.); and Brooke Bakalar, 23.
On tap: Junior League of Chicago holds a sports-theme party early Friday evening at Ditka’s Restaurant (100 E. Chestnut St.) to benefit its 22 community projects, ranging from mentoring abused children to providing board development assistance to other non-profit groups. For information, call 312-664-4462. On Monday, Chicago Magazine Association honors media executives from Starcom, DDB Chicago and J. Walter Thompson USA with its Vanguard Awards at a Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers luncheon. Call 312-527-7362.