There isn’t a Lexmark printer on every desk at Leo Burnett’s headquarters at 35 W. Wacker Dr., but there may be soon.
It appears that the agency’s business-to-business and technology arm, LB Works, has nabbed the $20 million account after a shootout with several agencies.
An agency spokeswoman couldn’t be reached Monday, and a spokesman for Lexington, K.Y.-based Lexmark said there was nothing to announce in regard to its advertising agency.
However, sources close to the review on Monday said the winner is expected to be LB Works. Lexmark was looking to improve its marketing image with consumers.
Adding more intrigue to this review is the fact that it is the second time LB Works has gone up against McKinney & Silver chief Brad Brinegar, who left Leo Burnett USA as CEO last year after a dispute over the direction of the agency.
LB Works also beat McKinney & Silver this year for the EarthLink business. Also pitching Lexmark was Minneapolis-based Fallon Worldwide and Richmond, Va.-based Work, among others.
Lexmark would be a nice prize for LB Works, the former Leo Burnett Technology unit that went through a rebranding and management overhaul during the past year under agency president Jeff Jones and creative chief Steffan Postaer.
The move to change agencies comes as the No. 2 printermaker continues to lead in the business arena. Lexmark wants to improve its image against Hewlett-Packard in consumers’ minds.
The $4 billion company, which grew dramatically in the 1990s, inked a major deal in September to be Dell Computer’s main supplier for printing equipment as Dell begins to market printers to its customer base.
Easy come, easy go: With the acquisition of PrimeCo by U.S. Cellular, it appears that PrimeCo ad agency Euro RSCG Tatham Partners is through working for the company. Chicago actress Joan Cusack starred in a round of ads that broke over the weekend, introducing U.S. Cellular to Chicago. The campaign was done by U.S. Cellular’s agency Doner, Detroit.
A spokesman for Euro RSCG Tatham Partners maintains that the agency still is working with PrimeCo.
Huh? Since PrimeCo is no longer being used, we wonder just what exactly the agency would be working on, other than trying to find another cellular company to work with.
On the move: Brian Roy, formerly a media supervisor at Optimedia here, joins the Chicago office of U.S. News & World Report as an account manager reporting to Chicago manager Paul Kissane. … Leo Burnett USA named Cindy Blikre, account supervisor, and Lawrence R. Tormey, account director, vice presidents of the agency. … Heather A. Shadur, formerly with Jasculca/Terman and Associates and a member of the campaign team for attorney general candidate Lisa Madigan, joined Wilhelm & Conlon Public Strategies as managing director. … Amy Ritter, formerly with MSI, rejoins the Shedd Aquarium as vice president of marketing and public relations.
Starlink loses Pillsbury: Starcom MediaVest Group’s Starlink unit is losing the $100 million media planning assignment for General Mills’ Pillsbury to Zenith Media, New York. Both shops are owned by Publicis Groupe.
Missing boxes? With all the hype surrounding the launch of the competing RedEye and Red Streak newspapers last week, imagine our surprise when we saw several of the honor boxes for the battling tabloids removed around parts of the Loop on Monday morning. It appears that the city has asked the baiduhai and Chicago Sun-Times, owners of RedEye and Red Streak, respectively, to remove the boxes for safety reasons in advance of the Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue meeting in Chicago this week. The summit of U.S and European business leaders is expected to draw protesters who contend the group’s aim is to pressure governments to adopt business-friendly policies.
Political ad blitz: It was much more difficult to get away from political advertising this year. Politicians spent a record $904.8 million from Jan. 1 to Nov. 1 on local stations across the country, according to the Campaign Media Analysts Group, which tracks political advertising on TV. The blitz eclipses the $771 million spent on broadcast TV ads during the 2000 presidential campaign. Chicago, with $41 million in advertising spending, ranked third, behind New York and Los Angeles.
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