Search »

Wal-Mart Cuts Field to Five, Incumbent Is Out

Five shops have advanced in Wal-Mart’s review of its creative, interactive and media duties, while five others did not make the cut.

Still in the pitch are one of the incumbents, Omnicom Group’s GSD&M, as well as Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi & Saatchi, WPP Group’s Ogilvy & Mather, and Interpublic Group’s Draft FCB Group and The Martin Agency, writes Adweek. Out of contention are the other creative incumbent, Bernstein-Rein, along with WPP’s JWT, Publicis Groupe’s Publicis and Leo Burnett, and MDC Partners’ Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners.

The remaining five agencies will be briefed by Wal-Mart later this month on their next assignment.

Kansas City-based Bernstein-Rein created the two large campaigns currently running for the client - one for the pharmaceutical business and one for its organic foods - and is also producing the upcoming campaign for the 2006 holiday season, writes the Kansas City Star. The agency has worked with Wal-Mart, which spent $570 million on advertising last year, for 32 years. Agency co-founder and president Bob Bernstein is quoted as saying, “Tomorrow is a new day, and we can start to pursue business that we’ve not been able to because we’ve been conflicted out because of Wal-Mart.”

The agency has a strong roster of other clients such as Blockbuster Video and McDonald’s, and Bernstein said he expects no layoffs to occur and doesn’t expect the completion of his new $116 million headquarters building to be affected.