12685: U.S. Navy’s New Stooge.

Adweek reported the U.S. Navy sailed away from its White advertising agency of 15 years and docked into a new White advertising agency. Replacing Lowe Campbell Ewald with Young & Rubicam is like swapping Curly for Shemp—although a lot less entertaining.

U.S. Navy Picks a New Agency After 15 Years With One Shop

Young & Rubicam takes over for Lowe Campbell Ewald

By Noreen O’Leary

Young & Rubicam is the U.S. Navy’s new agency, following a mandated review in which Lowe Campbell Ewald defended one of its largest accounts of 15 years, sources said.

Last year the Interpublic agency, now reconfigured as part of the Mullen Lowe Group, received a contract extension until a review could determine the winner of a five-year contract beginning this year. The agency last defended the business in 2009.

Last year the Navy spent $39.6 million on measured media, according to Kantar Media.

A Y&R representative declined to comment.

The new contract runs for a full year, followed by four one-year options that extend through 2020. Y&R will handle traditional, digital and mobile advertising as well as account and media planning, research, public relations and events.

In 2009, Lowe Campbell Ewald produced the tagline “America’s Navy. A global force for good.” to attract young recruits, but last year the Navy began phasing out the line after negative feedback from active-duty sailors, veterans and the American public. Earlier this year, the agency produced a new spot, “Pin Map,” which positioned the Navy as “Around the world, around the clock.”

Losing the Navy business is the latest blow for the agency, which lost its biggest client Cadillac last year, an account it worked on as part of a consortium of agencies called Rogue.