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Draft FCB, Carat Win Wal-Mart’s $580M Creative, Media Accounts

Draft FCB and Aegis Group’s Carat have won Wal-Mart Stores’ $580 million creative and media buying account, say executives familiar with the situation. A Wal-Mart spokesperson said that a decision has not been made, but may be made by the first week of Nov.

The win marks a huge coup for Draft FCB, which was only recently merged, AdAge writes.

Incumbent Bernstein-Rein, which had worked with Wal-Mart for 32 years, was cut from the review in August. Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi & Saatchi, which had been considered a favorite as Saatchi X had been named agency of record for shopper, in-store and employee communications, dropped out of the review after having won competitor JC Penney away from Omnicom’s DDB.

Wal-Mart is hoping to encourage shoppers to spend more, and more broadly, at the stores, particularly on higher-margin products.

Final presentations for the retail giant’s multicultural review will take place in mid-Nov., with four Hispanic agencies, three African American and three Asian American shops participating. Wal-Mart is one of the largest accounts in the Hispanic market, spending $55 million a year through independent agency Lopez Negrete Communications, according to the article.

Wal-Mart has also recently paired with gay-marketing agency Witeck-Combs Communications, and has formed a partnership with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.