Can new Sears, Roebuck and Co. chief marketing officer Janine Bousquette find a new advertising campaign she likes from the company’s Chicago agencies?
The answer is not yet.
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Which may be why both WPP Group-owned Ogilvy & Mather and Young & Rubicam have brought in big guns from their New York offices to present new campaigns this week to replace the 16-month-old “Sears. Where else?” campaign.
Sears sources say that both agencies will have New York reps presenting.
Young & Rubicam New York president and chief creative Jim Ferguson will be on hand for a pitch Thursday, and outgoing O&M North American chief creative officer Rick Boyko will present Friday.
Both agencies have a lot riding on the outcome–as does Sears. Bousquette has been charged with not only crafting yet another image for the retailer, but also with creating a message that connects with Sears customers who have many more retail options.
Sears spends nearly $1.4 billion in advertising a year, one of the nation’s biggest budgets.
The Chicago advertising community has a lot at stake in Sears as well. With business still soft and little creative buzz coming from most Chicago agencies these days, the last thing local shops need is to be big-footed by New York agencies on one of the biggest pieces of advertising business here.
Bousquette, the former top marketing executive from the now defunct eToys, and a former marketing executive of PepsiCo, is leaving few stones unturned, Sears sources say. She has put pressure on the two agencies to come up with a new advertising formula to win back customers.
There is a sense of urgency permeating Sears’ marketing department, sources say. Sears has suffered sales declines during the past several months as it continues to face increased competition from chains outside traditional department store retailing.
In recent weeks, Bousquette has brought on a consultant–former Leo Burnett executive Jack Phifer–to help, though his role at the Hoffman Estates headquarters is unclear.
So far, sources say, she has yet to decide whether either agency has the answer. Frustrated earlier in the process that she wasn’t getting the best work, Bousquette called in WPP Group chief executive Martin Sorrell for a sit-down at Sears’ headquarters. O&M and Y&R now have several creative teams from across their networks working on the business.
Sears executives continue to downplay the situation.
“Janine’s focus is truly on the customer,” said a Sears spokeswoman. “She wants to make sure the work truly relates to the customer. She’s looking at all the elements of Sears’ marketing.”
It is not clear whether Bousquette will decide to go ahead with work from one agency or both when the process is complete.
If she decides to consolidate, the move would devastate one of the agencies. Sears represents a substantial portion of billings at both firms.
A decision could come by the end of the month, sources say.
Talent purge at Channel 2: Following a massive behind-the-scenes purge at the end of last year, WBBM-Ch. 2 has aimed the ax at some on-air talent. General assignment reporters Steve Lattimore and Carolyn Murray were told this week that their contracts weren’t being renewed.
Lattimore, a native of Chicago, came to the station in the spring of 2000 from Milwaukee. Murray came to Channel 2 as the station’s consumer reporter in September 2001. Lattimore’s contract is up this spring, and Murray’s contract runs through this fall, sources said.
It is unclear whether new station boss Joe Ahern will stop there.
The moves come as rumors swirl around town that he is looking at bringing in big names from other Chicago stations.
On the move: DDB Chicago named Jeff Getz, currently director of print production, a senior vice president of the agency. … William Li, vice president of marketing at home furnishings company Odegard, was named advertising director of the New Yorker magazine, based in New York.
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Account action: As expected, Leo Burnett picked up the $30 million Philips’ domestic appliance and personal care, medical systems and lighting divisions. The account will be managed out of Leo Burnett offices in London, Chicago and Hong Kong. … Crystal Cruises named M&C Saatchi as its new advertising agency.